Fire Emblem Redux: Dragon Blood
by Arimadios
Summary: Redux 4: Terror of the Ash-snow & 5: Rejoin the Troupe. With the team picking up a new ally, what's happened in the Main Camp? What's with Elimine THIS time around, and just who is Kai? All this edition of FIRE EMBLEM REDUX: DRAGON'S BLOOD Lemon Scente
1. Prolouge: A Girl From the Plains

Lyn tossed and turned in her sleep. There was no shelter form these dreams…

_ The bandits came, pitch black night their cover, their life force almost. If they made a single sound, the entire Lorca village would rise up to destroy them. These nomads were no trifle, and scary to boot. Lyndis was asleep. Her father was awake, looking across the fire at his wife. "So… What do you think? Should we take her there? Or should we let them come to us?"_

_ The voice from behind the tent's wall was loud, angry, full of hate, and a lust for what the mercenary did best. "You let us escort her to the afterlife." The Beast leapt through the wall, his axe raised high, and with a mighty sweep, he cleaved Lyndis' mother in two. Her father screamed at the top of his lungs rousing the entire village. "TO ARMS!" he yelled._

_ Lyndis awoke, and was shoved away by her father. "RUN LYNDIS! RUN!" And run she did, no clue of what was happening. Ten others, all fairly young, went with her, they ran, and hid in a place only the Lorca knew of, a small tent hidden in a forest alcove. They waited there, for someone to get them. Then they left with the morning light, to see if the village was still at war. They saw the carnage. No survivors._

_ The flood of their pattering feet and tears rang across the Lorca's plains that day. They cried for fallen family and friends, but not Lyndis. She was to… enraged. She grabbed up an iron blade, the very one her father had used to fell so many of the Taliver, their yellow clothing giving the bandit gang away. She fell to her knees, and screamed, the bloodcurdling cry would make even the stoutest hearted man go weak at the knees. She called out to her Fellow Lorca, and held a meeting. "We will each of us go different ways, and each of us learn to fight. We will become the strongest on the plains. When you feel you are ready, gather up your allies, and try to destroy the Taliver. Leave not a one of them alive." She said, and each one of the last of the Lorca nodded, turning about, and walking off. Lyndis walked back to the tent, and began to cry._

_ Her first true tears of grief._

Lyndis woke with a start. "AHH!" She panted, the light blue nightgown she had on offered little protection from the cold night air, and she stoked the fire again, bringing the crackling embers back into a small blaze. She curled into herself, her eyes buried in her knees. Less than 4 days ago, she had a family, friends, and a purpose that didn't involve slaughtering an entire group of men.

Now she had nothing, but a wretched sword. Nothing at all. She screamed, and walked out side, preparing to scream up at the horse lords, to ask them why they were so cruel. But then she saw him, a young man, possibly only 15, maps scattered about him. He was lying face down in the fields. She quickly ran to him, and flipped him over, checking him for wounds… none. She then held his forehead, a slight fever… probably just exhausted. The cold air was making the blood sink into her flesh, giving her a very pale complexion.

The man awoke. If only for a short time, he could see. A woman, a blue, almost silky nightgown, her pale skin backlighting the gown perfectly. "An…. Angel?" he asked to no one, and fainted again.

He was hallucinating, Lyndis thought. She scooped him up, and glanced off in the distance, a Ger was rolling this way. 'Damn, when will the horselords let me wake up from this dream?' she thought, and carried the man back into the tent hidden by the forest.

* * *

Kai Awoke to see… nothing. Then he heard a voice. "Oh, hello, you just woke up I presume? My name is Lyn; I'm pleased to meet you. I found you out on the grass outside… you must have been exhausted, but I'm impressed, you overcame your fever in less than a night." He looked about, and the first thing he laid eyes on was a leg, visible through a hip high slit in a dress, attached to one of the most beautiful things he had ever laid eyes on, this woman named Lyn, a Blue haired beauty with a sleek shape. He gawked for a moment.

"My name is Kai, many thanks for saving my life." She held up her finger, listening to the wind. "Something wrong?"

"The Ger… they made a lot of progress last night." She heard the call of stop, and the wheels stopped creaking. She dashed outside, and growled. "Damn. That Batta… A cruel bandit. He's here to plunder, I guess…"

Kai frowned. "I cannot help you combat him, but I can help you in other ways. Allow me to accompany you."

Lyn frowned. "You can't even use a simple blade!"

Kai frowned as he stared at the woman. "No, I deplore entering any sort of combat. I've had my share of it, I am an apprentice tactician. I create battle plans, and strategies for those who do fight."

"But I'm only one person…"

Kai smirked. "Four can hold off an army of 150 with proper planning, and you're holding the sword wrong also. Your grip is to loose, a good whack to that blade and it's gone."

Lyn looked at him, maybe he was right after all, and it couldn't hurt anyway. "Alright, come on."

They stood together, watching Batta and his lone servant setting up camp. Batta let lose his war cry. "I AM BATTA! ANY WHO DARES TO DEFY ME SHALL FALL TO MY AXE!"

Lyn giggled, as did Kai. "A bit Melodramatic, don't you think?"

Kai thought for a moment. "I prefer cheesy, or corny, but melodramatic works. Let's see here… we need to close the distance."

Lyn nodded, and took off at a fast pace, her hand itching to bleed the men in front of her. Kai grabbed her by the dress, and pulled her to the ground, making her emit a sound of some strange origin. "Get down! We must not let them see us, or else we lose the element of surprise. Look, here comes that servant… stand up, be ready to fight, he will not attack first, seeing as like most bandits, he will admire your leg.

Lyn was confused a bit by this, and cocked a brow, but did stand, pushing her legs a bit farther apart than usual. The effect of the skin she was showing was easily apparent in the brigand's lustful face. "Batta would die to have a prize like you, wench."

Kai was a bit nostalgic, able to see the inside of her thighs from here, but no more… Any fifteen year old would have found himself running to the nearest private back alley for relief. Kai just simply trudged on. "On my mark, cut across his stomach, watch his axe, when it goes to his side, cut him in two, and be quick about it."

The brigand stepped closer, and Lyn began to realize something, her entire body could be a weapon, if she needed it to be. She smirked. "What's a big old man doing with that axe like that? Is he afraid of little old me?"

The brigand seemed to consider something. Only sluts or women who could fight knew how to tempt a man like that. Either one was fine with him. He knew how to fight anyway, and it would make dispatching Batta easier. She smiled as he came closer, inwardly anticipating the moment that he broke his stance.

The brigand did so, but only as he was reaching out to touch the soft thigh he had been eyeing. Kai Inwardly growled, Lyn was this easy?

Lyn then surprised everyone around her, the blade came out so fast, and the brigand barely had time to escape with both halves of his body. He jumped towards the girl who had cut him across his stomach so deeply that he now bore a scar on his ego also, aiming to cut her arms off.

Lyn quickly sidestepped, but that didn't stop the brigand's attack, he turned, his axe's flat side coming around to bust her in her side.

The attack was so… unexpected that Lyn was hit by it hard, flying to the ground, grabbing her side in pain.

The brigand was glad. He didn't cut that beautiful skin, and bruises fade. He would take his prize here and now. One hand idly strayed to his pants while his axe hung idly at his side, as he walked to Lyn's prone form.

"NOW LYN!" Kai yelled, and Lyn knew it was the mark. She thrust her sword up and forward and soon found herself a phallus shish kabob on the end of her sword, and she quickly lifted the blade, cutting open the brigand's stomach, and slammed her boot into his nut, flinging him off the blade as the rank smell of rotting meat emanated from his now gutless body. She stood up, quivering. "Kai… You have my knapsack, give me the Vulnerary." Kai did as he was told, then frowned, he was the one following orders now!

She drank half of the liquid, and then poured the rest onto the wound she had received, the large, black bruise would have been horrifying, if Kai had actually seen it, but, he had turned to spare Lyn her modesty. He watched Batta, nearly snoozing on his throne. "Alright, Lyn, I have a plan… save a little of that though."

Lyn looked at the empty bottle. "Oops." She said quietly, and giggled. "Too late."

Kai nearly collapsed. A Novice warrior and an apprentice tactician, that was all they were, how were they supposed to win now, against a Seasoned Brigand!

Kai turned on his heal, only to be blinded by the light shining off the now bloodstained iron sword. "That's it! Quickly Lyn, listen, we have no time to lose. You will stay as low as possible, and follow the draws on the plane, until you are within ten to thirty paces of Batta. Then you will rise, and challenge him, as he rises, hold your sword up to the sky, and lean it back a little… try to reflect the light into his eyes, and when he is blinded by it, quickly strike at any part you can that would injure his ability to fight, arms, legs, or even kill him. The choice is yours. I'll just stay here and watch."

Lyn nodded. She dashed off, for some reason, trying to prove herself to the stranger. She smiled, fifteen paces was as close as she could get, but the draw was sharp, she could easily surprise the sleeping Brigand. But she choose not to. "Well well Batta, it's time for you to die."

Batta smiled behind closed eyes. His rotted teeth gave off a foul stench as he talked. "Not before I strip you, and make you my concubine." He said, and stood, towering over Lyn. She was… in a strange fighting stance.

"Is Batta so underappreciated that they send a little girl with a pig sticker to negotiate with him? HA! BATTA THE BLOODY IS UNSTOPPAB- ARGH!"

The light hit him square in the pupils, and she leaped. "KYA!" She yelled, her sword cleanly severing the blinded giant's arm. Then she turned; her blade sinking hilt deep into the bottom of his jaw. "Batta… Shut up." She said, and jerked the sword out, spraying blood and bone fragments, not to mention teeth, away from the bloodied mass of what was once a word-hole and breathing hole. She had not a drop of blood on her, nor any bones or the like as she walked back to Kai.

* * *

Lyn stood over the cook pot stove. It had been hell for Kai to convince her to stay at the tent for one more day, before they set out to sell off the loot they got from Batta's Ger. Then, he had said something that earned him a rather large lump. "And besides… A lady is not supposed to be a warrior, they are supposed to stay home and clean…"

-WHAM-

The lump was painful and swollen. He had apologized, but the fuming girl looked like she was going to use that sword on him. He was damn glad she didn't. He hadn't even finished his sentence. He sat there, wincing, his head was pounding. He watched her cook, and even though he was focusing on his feet, the farthest thing from his head, and his pain, he couldn't think of anything but what dreadful circumstances she had lived though. He sighed for her, and continued to watch his feet, oblivious to the sweet aroma of her cooking. "I'm going outside." He said, and stood, his feet quickly carrying him that way.

As he stepped outside, he pointedly made his way to the place where he could see Lyn's shadow. "A saying in my home country Lyn. The best laid plans are the worst laid traps, and one is never better than his adversaries, only more skilled. No mission is the most holy, and no mission is the most evil. Each has his reason, and each has his wants. All missions are based on opinions." And he walked a little farther away from the tent, and then stopped. "By the way, the last part of what I was saying before… Unless they have a god given mission of revenge or to protect her child. In that case, I completely condone killing and even outright murder. Blood for Blood, Life for Life. As it is from the ash of the fallen that the new ones are born to become ash again, it is the old ones, who place the new ones in the ground to become ash." He sighed. "But pay me no mind. The dreams which must torture you so are nothing compared to my guilt, my angst…"

Lyn ran out as she heard him walking away from the Tent. "Come back Kai, you haven't eaten; besides, you're getting your cut of the gold." Kai continued walking. "How did you know about my dreams?"

Kai stopped… how had he known about them? Was it that look in her eyes? The fact that she had something in common with him? He didn't care; he truly didn't give two shits about this woman, just another beauty. He turned around and looked in her direction, pulling out something out of his satchel. He looked at it, and peered through the center hole. It began to glow as he pointed it at Lyn. He remembered his father's last words.

_ "This seal will guide you to your destiny. When it glows… Your life awaits. You are twined in the fate of destiny it's self. Go to Sacae. Find the one whom the heaven seal reacts too. Use it when you… leave…"_

That's what father had meant. His destiny called. He turned around and walked back towards Lyn. "I will be your loyal tactician, and friend, if you permit me, my Lord."

Lyn smiled, and then went inside, happy for the company, and glad to eat.

Kai was also happy. He had found his destiny.


	2. Chapter 1: Footsteps of Fate

Kai awoke, and stretched, the lady in a nightgown beside him was still asleep. "Lyn…" he said.

Lyn sprung awake, flipping out of the bed, and quickly changing right in front of Kai. The blushing teen kept quiet, watching the older lady dress quietly.

Kai stood up, slowly slipping into his green and brown robes. He turned around, and stared at Lyn, who was having her turn to blush. "I didn't see a thing…" he said, and took his first step away from the tent. Lyn followed, her plains bred horse carrying the pack they had of their items.

The team stepped lightly, venturing over the hills of Sacae, until they saw Bulgar, the foremost, and largest, city in all of Sacae. The quickly marched down the hill, a companionable silence had been kept the entire way down. The lands surrounding them were hills, farms, and mountains, though far off ones. The Mountains of Bern were a favorite place for bandits to live, so Bulgar was placed well away from them.

As soon as they stepped into town, they passed many tribesman, some bowing to Lyn, others merely sneering at Kai. Kai frowned as he walked, following behind Lyn. When they reached a less populated area, (Which, Ironically, was the town square) Lyn stopped and turned around. "Kai, why were you behind me the whole way?"

"It is improper for a vassal to lead the Lord. Besides, you are Sacaen, I am not. I am an outsider, and do not know my way around."

Lyn smirked. "Okay servant. By the by, here's the stall we sell our spoils at. I have no clue how to use axes in a combat situation, so let's sell them first."

Kai nodded, and followed her, at her side, though a little behind, so he could watch where she went. All the time, the heaven seal at his side pulsated, and almost seemed to warn him. He was on edge.

Lyn smiled at the large bag of gold she received from the merchant, and then went around, selling the rest of the spoils. She kept the spare set of vulnerary she got from Batta's Ger.

She smiled, and nodded. "You must know that we still have business to do… I want to go to the shrine of the Mani Katti, the sacred sword, and say a prayer. We will need its protection for the road ahead."

Kai nodded to this, and they started walking towards the gate. Kai was in the lead this time, knowing the whereabouts of the gate.

Lyn screamed loudly "KYA!" and the sound of a slap permeated the square. A rather… unorthodox looking knight had just grabbed her hindquarters, and received a blow to the face which had shaken him to the heels.

"What beauty is this, with fire in her heart and legs of the goddesses!"

"A Knight you may dress as, but a brigand you act like!" she said, hand fondling the hilt of her sword. "Where might you be from that you have the balls to treat a Sacaen woman this way and hope to keep those precious jewels?"

"I am form Lycia, my dear angel! From the Caelin Canton, home to men of passion and FIRE!"

Lyn twitched, finding Kai's gaze at the knight staying her hand. He didn't want the rambunctious woman to start an all out brawl here in the town, especially when he had the reach of a spear over her sword. He didn't care how skilled and fast she was; a spear nearly always trumped a sword.

"Well, dear knight, I can see it really means home to Shallow oafs with loose tongues. Good day." She said and turned, Kai merely smirked, and turned with her.

Lyn was steaming, her mad face shining like a ruby in the midday light. Kai merely patted her on the back, and said "They are strangers to your ways, as I am, please give them slack."

Kent walked over to the downtrodden looking Sain, his boon of a friend. The man was a lecher, but one of the best knights he had trained with. The large red hand print on his face was all Kent needed.

"I told you Sain, idle hands are the devil's plaything, and you are the devil in this case."

"But it was one of the firmest I have ever had the grace to touch, invited or no! She's fiery that one."

Kent looked at Sain's face, and followed the nearly apparent lines from his pupils to the retreating bum, swaying, the two legs shown to him by the rather… odd dress were… Familiar almost! This dress… he had seen Madelyn in this same dress in castle Caelin paintings.

"Sain… have you ever looked at the paintings on the walls of Castle Caelin?"

"Why, no, what for?"

"That was our mission!"

"To look at Paintings?" Sain scratched his head. "I thought we were to bring Madelyn's daughter back to Lord Hausen!"

"She was Madelyn's Daughter! I think…"

"You've got to be kidding me! No, her but was to firm to be Royalty!"

SMACK!

Lyn growled, Kai growled… hell; even their packhorse was growling! They stepped towards the knights. Even the horses had the marks of the Castle Caelin.

Lyn glared at the, now sporting two red marks, green armored Knight. A knight in red armor was sighing beside him. "Milady, I'm most apologetic for my companion's most inappropriate… grasp on reality."

Lyn smirked. "That's funny. I suppose there are honorable men among Lycian knights."

Kent bowed. "I thank you; I must ask your name however…"

Sain growled, and then bellowed "HEY! I saw her first!"

Lyn frowned. "I think I was wrong. Get your horses out of the road."

Kent sighed, and nodded. "We will be along in a moment. Thank you, many apologies."

Lyn nodded, and Kai followed her back out to the horses. Kai snickered. "Knowing you, you should have decked them."

"Should have shouldn't I?"

Kai sighed, and leaned against the horse. Then he moved his back strangely. "Caelin Cavaliers… They would be good allies."

"Their minds reside between their thighs… they would be to busy watching my legs to see my sword, and take credit for the hard earned kills I scored. Besides, watching my leg is a good way to earn a lance."

Kent stood in front of Lyn now, and bowed. "I believe our mission here has been completed. Would you mind traveling companions?"

"Yes. I would." Lyn said simply, glaring at the knight. "You and your Friend seem to be intent on groping me."

"I assure you, that is not MY intention. I am well mannered and schooled well in the combat arts. A woman who did not intend to fight would not have an apprentice strategist with her."

Sain stepped up now. "My flower, I assure you, Kent, my Boon Companion, is much too daft and serious to be interested in a woman, at any time. However, if it is…

-WHACK-

It was Kai who slapped him this time, and obviously much harder than either of the two before him, seeing as Sain's face was buried in one of his horse's freshest patties. "You will show respect, the UTMOST respect, when speaking to Milady, Sir Knight. And then you will show even more. The more your mouth opens, the more it makes you seem like an idiot." He thought for a moment, and then said "And, well, I'm afraid I must say, you look enough of an idiot with that ridiculous green armor."

Sain got up and growled, going to the nearest bar to wash his face, seething.

Kent was keeping a straight face. "Sir Strategist, strike my friend again and I shall-

"You shall do absolutely nothing, Due to the Knights Code; one will not strike a foe that is unarmed."

Kent looked shocked. "FINE. Our Horses are moved, we shall escort you shortly, I'm calling you out here, according the CAVALIER'S Code, and I'm allowed to challenge you when inside the borders of my homeland."

Kai smirked. "Lyn, we will head outside town, now." And started walking, Lyn took one last glance at the Cavalier, and ran after Kai.

They reached well past the outskirts. "Uh oh…"

Zugu smirked, standing tall outside of his band, "Well well… a beauty. Man oh man the things I won't do…"

"What do you mean brigand?"

"Oh, I just need her skin, all for a mountain of gold."

The sound of horses charging distracted all seven of them. "Eh? Who's this?"

"COWARDLY CURRS!" Sain fumed at them, glaring poison. "Such numbers against a lady, even for brigands, you are low!"

Lyn, and Kai, were surprised at the sudden burst of knighthood from Sain.

Kent was the next to speak. "If they seek a fight, they will fight me!"

Zugu growled. "We ain't here to fight, we're here to skin that bitch and earn our gold. Outta the way, Knights."

Kai Smirked, and stepped forth. "Strategist's Flare!" The bright magical fire that burst in front of the 4, shoving the 5 brigands back wasn't even hot, but it produced unearthly amounts of smoke. Kai dragged Lyn with him into a thicket, and dove down.

"Knights, listen to me, they'll be disoriented, wait until they regain their bearings, they'll spread themselves thin, and we'll strike. They want Lady Lyn's Skin; they'll take a Blade and their own home… Steer clear of Lances, brigands are excellent at fighting against lances, they're plain deadly with those axes, your horses will be in trouble. Big trouble."

Sain Looked at Kai. "Why Should I believe you?"

"Listen, A Sword Is Narrow. No way to block the head of a Lance without sidestepping, and Blocking something gives you plenty of time to step aside. Even a Weak Warrior with an Axe can do serious harm to a horse, Or a Knight's Armor with even an IRON Axe."

"A Sword Is Light and Fast, With a Blade even longer than an Axe's Shaft and haft. It Can Slip beneath the head of the axe and hold it there, allowing very easy dodging when you are fighting against an axe Wielder. Besides, Most Sword Wielders have thin or no armor, to promote the Best speed."

"A Lance is long and Narrow, With the Smallest Blade size, but the biggest Reach. This means it has a smaller blade than an axe, and renders it Unwieldy. It's Good for a HARD hit, and Decent Rate of use. A Sword has no chance against it. The Blade is too stretched out, to long and narrow to take a firm hit from the blade. It'd break in a moment."

The Two Knights nodded, Sound Reasoning and deep knowledge of the arts of war.

Sain was…. Intimidated. "Well What If I don't have a Sword, I can still beat these Brigands!" And Rode off to the forest, Kent about to chase after him.

"KENT! Wait!" Kent did so, looking at the strategist. "Stick to the forests… Axes and swords have trouble with Vertical hits, and lances are easy to trap inside them."

"Sound Words form a Sound Mind… I'll be sure to tell him."

The sound of Blades echoed in the distance. A horse Nickered, and Kai leaped up into a tree, climbing to the very top, watching the battle as it began to rage. The smoke he had produced had dissipated. He tossed a small object down to Lyn. "Wear that. It will allow me to see things with your eyes, or anyone who follows you into battle. These Two Knights included. When I find a grand place for you to move, it will be illuminated in a blue light. Anywhere within would be a good place to be. It will also Color your foes red, I Green, and your allies Blue. It's a Strategists Necklace. Guard it with your Life. I'm OBBLIGED to assist anyone with that Necklace, A Blood Bound thing."

Lyn nodded, and placed the amulet about her neck. 'I wonder if this thing actually works…' She thought.

'Of course it does.' Kai said to her through the telepathic link. 'They establish telepathic links, as well. You mustn't have much other than combat on the mind when you wear it, I'm easily distracted. And By the By, from your angle, you're very attractive.'

Before she could erupt in a retaliatory outburst of rather sadistic thoughts, he shifted his focus to Sain. Suddenly, he could see the area around Sain well. The Ignorant Knight was wandering around in a brutally obvious circle. "Kent? Uhhh… Kent? Where are you my boon companion?" Kai shot his voice through Sain's head, telling him to get out of the way as a brigand leaped from behind the tree.

The Brigand landed on Sain's horse, but felt… something shove him off as hard as it could, slamming him against the trunk of the tree, as Sain's horse whinnied and slammed it's horse shoes into his chest. The now Breathless brigand swung the flat of his blade against the incoming spear that was in Sain's hand, and shoulder bashed the knight, sending him off his horse. Sain was Weaponless, Alone, and off his only trump card, his horse.

He shifted his presence to Kent. He forcibly grabbed the reins of the horse, his telepathic communications flooding Kent's mind. 'Listen, Sain is in danger, Dehorsed, Delanced, and desperately fighting against a brigand. The brigand is slightly injured, but that fall hurt Sain, a lot, as far as I can tell. You NEED to get to him, he's this Direction. Hand him your spare sword. He'll need it. They're in the forest as well. Remember what I told you.'

'Aye. I'm no stranger to a strategist's abilities. Still unnerving though.' Kent thought.

'Keep your damn wits about you, this is life and death. Lyn seems bored. Going over to her. Yell if you need anything.'

His mind's Eye shifted over to Lyn. She was currently cussing up at the completely motionless Kai in the tree, and she shivered as she felt… SOMETHING near her. 'Oh hush, it's astral projection. Now shut up and move…. Here.' The blue light erupted into the sky. 'The knights can take care of themselves. Though, I think you might be one vulnerary lighter in a minute.' He floated beside Lyn as she was still cussing him. Though he could still hear her thoughts.

'Little pervert thinks he has a right to take over my eyes and look at me? What's to guarantee he won't go peeping around when I'm sleeping with this damnable necklace of his? ARGH! Though… I suppose he's too honorable for that… he did complement me…' she slowed down to a slight jog.

He growled at her. 'I swear, if you don't start RUNNING I'm going to yank you there by your tits, you mindless yuppie, Now RUN!'

She didn't want to test this kid's patience.

She cowered in the forest up north, her sword at the ready. She didn't like this place, nor the feeling she got from it. She watched from the shadows of the tree, glaring at the large redish colored man in the distance. He was obviously looking for her, and not at the mercy of the necklace she wore.

'Good, you should be safe for a moment. I'll be assisting in the battle with Sain and Kent. I need you to remember all the techniques you've learned so far. A Brigand such as he will fall easily to your charms, but his flesh is tough. You need to go for the killing stroke. Two at most should do him in. DO NOT leave the forest. If you do, he won't think he took you by surprise, and will attack first. Ambush him here.'

Sain rolled over, scrambling backwards. "Stay away, you brigand! I warn you, I can show you Pain has you have never felt before!" The brigand just smiled at him, hefting his axe, and jumping as high as he could…

Before a Red blur flashed by him, and his arms erupted in a red spray, the brigand screaming as he felt his arms leave his body. The single iron blade in the dust beside him prompted Sain to do his first true act of war. With a spinning flourish of his wrist, he snapped the blade up, coming up off his hind quarters, and taking a step foreward with his back foot, around to his side, the back spinning motion of the blade, coupled with the forward motion of the brigands screaming form, severed the head from his shoulders. The Sickening plop of a head caused Sain's stomach to lurch. "By the Gods, This is War?" Kai's mental presence patted him on the shoulder. 'Sain, this is nothing compared to what TRUE war is. This is just a bandit attack. Go see Lyn. See the Blue Pillar in the sky? Once you head into that, call out to Lyn. She will give you a Vulneray. Oh, and your horse is grazing Here. The Yellow Light shall Indicate it.'

"What sorcery is this? Lights before my eyes? And Voices in my head? Do the souls of the Fallen Haunt you in a war?"

'No, this is how a TRUE Strategist works. Now Go, Complete the objectives I have given ye.'

Kent's Horse was working up a lather. His was a Horse Built for Rugged Walks, and Harsh mountain climbs, not hard running headlong into the grip of a brigand. Kai Shifted over to him, and floated along side. 'Kent, I Trust you find the arms of a brigan spraying blood on your armor a comfort? If not, please don't be so gruesome. Go for a Killing Stroke, please, or atleast a harshly wounding one. Incapcitaging an opponent is not what we need. We need corpses, or Runaways. Not Prisoners.'

Kent sighed. 'For my frind to Receive his true blooding, it was necessary.' he thought aloud to kai, his sword raising high as he jumped his horse, the loud whinney causing the brigand to back pedal as he tried a long overhead swing. Kent's blade came up under the axe head, blocking the blow as it bit into the wooden haft. The brigand did an about face as Kent's Horse landed, and he gave a short cry.

The Horse Delivered one single back hoof smack to the brigand's chest.The brigand spilled over as Kent reared his horse up, and held his blade in a underhand grip. "KUNY!" he yelled as the horse did a short hop with it's slightly bladded back hoof shoes, snapping the shin bones of the brigand. The horse fell down on it's front hooves, shattering the brgainds right shoulder blade, and stoping by his head as kent reared forward, delivering a single stab to the nape of his foe's neck. Thus ended the second battle of the skirmish, and only three more remained. All of them were high stakes gambles.

Lyn Stood on the branch of the tree. Kai was impressed. 'Good position. Here comes the brigand now. An Easy way to finish this fight would be to drop when the brigand enters the circle here…' he said as a simple red circle appeared. 'and kill him with a downward stroke. A Simple stab to the head shall do it.' Lyn nodded, and smiled as the brigand stopped just inside the circle, strangely, smiling. "Come out come out, Kitty Kitty… This ole Wolf won't bite to hard…"

"But this Kitty…" she said as she jumped from the tree, blade betwixt her legs, smiling maniacly as she tried to stab him in the head. "HAS CLAWS!" He took a sidestep to the right as Kai began to scream-think 'RUN LYN! RUN! GET OUT OF THERE! AMBUSH!'

The brigand smiled as he prepped for a massive axe swing, his axe blade swinging hard to the right. Lyn Ducked down even further, and obstinately bull rushed her opponent, legs coiled tight as a mynx ready to pounce, she leapt up onto his body, slamming her feet into his belly as her knees slammed his chest, blowing him over as his buddy slashed vertically, the axe burying it's self right below his penis as he fell. Lyn Dashed off into the forest, The brigands howling at each other.

'Lyn turn back now. Follow this path. When they come round the bend highlighted in red, ambush them again. No war cries, or flashing blades. A Simple Run by strike on the rear most one's back. Sain and Kent are on their way. Ken is coming in from the west, Sain from the south, here, you will have a northerly attack. Follow the yellow path to the spot designated, and prepare for another sword drop.'

Lyn nodded, following his instructions, her heart pounding as she stopped in the brush, watching the first brigand go running by. The second followed his buddy, at a slower pace, still gunshy of the maniac in front of him. He nearly had his penis bisected a moment ago. He stopped only for a moment.

Lyn made her move. She dashed behind him, with a spinning step, dragging her blade's edge along his back, the ribbon of blood flowing down in a razor's edge form as he screamed loudly, giving chase to her.

She ran for all she was worth, determined to outdistance him as she lept for a branch above her. With a kicking flip, she dropped her guard completely for one last finishing strike. The brgand charged through the underbrush, his axe down low, unable to defend as he got a face full of blue dress, and red blood, as the blade sank into his forehead. With a Roll, Lyn removed the blade, pulling it up through his skull, making the hole much bigger. She looked at the grey flesh clinging to it, and smiled snidely. She had completed her third Kill under the guidance of Kai.

The Two Cavaliers dashed towards the Site, highlighted in blue. Even as Lyn grew ever closer to death.

The Reaper of the little forest patch had just become the hunted, and a birgand was falling quickly on his prey, Kai absent for a moment, unable to warn his charge. The brigand's weight fell on her back as his axe barely missed it's mark, due to a rouge branch. Kai shifted over to Lyn as his body began to hurt all over. 'Oh no, LYN! Get up! Fight back!'

However, she couldn't muster the breath to attack. Panic struck her like the fires of hell were burning away her life.

Just then, A Sole Cavalier Leapt through the underbrush. With a Glance and a Nod, Sain realized that his horse wouldn't land of Lyn, but he would fall short of the fight, with no time to save his Newest charge, He did the only thing he could do.

He leapt off the back of the horse, his sword in his left hand, lance in his right. The flying green dart shoved his lance out, even as the blade of the axe lanced down to Lyn's Back. The Spear jammed into his prey's ribs, and out of his stomach, then into the ground, as his sword came up in a lashing motion, slamming the blade of the axe away from lyn, the Heavy weighted side slamming into his target's skull. The Spear in his hand broke as he over shot his prey, but had slain it all the same.

What Sain had failed to take into account, was his friend had just leapt through the bushes on the other side of the alcove, as he Charged to save Lyn. The Resulting collison would have surely broken bones, had it not been for Kai's Astral form, wedged between the two of them. This softened the impact for the two of the knights, but Kai, Ethreal as he was, was able to slightly manipulate things.

And now he could add another to his list of Strategist's gifts. His astral form could be Manipulated BY things.

'OW! Damnit! Get offa me! OW!' he yelled mentally, jumping up through them. The two knights laid there, dazed and confused, as if they were just going to absolutely -DIE- from the pain. The two horses slightly rolled their eyes, and neighed quietly, looking for their next grasstacular meal.

Lyn sat up, rubbing her back. "Ooowwww! That hurt! WHERE IS THE BASTARD THAT DID THIS!"

Both Sain and Kent looked at lyn with fear in their eyes. The Blue haired girl was fuming. Both Knights had faced her scorn before, and deiced thusly. "OVER THERE!" They shouted simultaneously, and dashed to their horses, leaving the ethereal kai standing before an enraged princess.

"It was neither of their faults, lyn. Infact, they have slain the man that did it to you. The leader of these brigands is to the west."

With a smug smirk, Lyn smiled, and walked towards the west, coming near the bridge. She laid her eyes on zugu, and with a hunter's pace, she closed the distance.

The brigand leader's eyes were to the south. He simply stared on at everything, almost as if he expected the attack to come from there.

Lyn didn't take the fact for granted. She took it for his fatal flaw. As zugu hefted his axe up to turn in response to seeing the small blue blur, he couldn't quite notice the vague burst of stamina and speed the woman had.

Kai suddenly realized something. Throughout the battle, his heaven seal had continued to glow, ever brighter, but now is dim. A Bare glow. It had happened when Lyn had slain the first brigand. He had felt the wave of energy erupt from the seal. He quickly shifted his focus to kent. It glowed almost as brightly as It had glowed after Lyn's fight with Batta, and with sain, only a little brighter. He wondered, could It have some connection to his mental link, and his charge's troops? He shifted his vocus back to lyn. The stonelike item was quiet once more. He breifley rubbed it.

Lyn smiled, and swung her blade at Zugu. The razor's edge of the blade scraped along the back of Zugu's axe, and the enemy leader just smiled. As soon as the tip of te iron blade passed, he swung his own weapon wildly.

The side of the head impacted Lyn's back, sending her foreward in a roll. Zugu quickly ran up. His arms splayed above his head, he leaped, aiming to cleave lyn's head in two.

Kai felt a burst of energy within the seal, and telepathically screamed his order. "NOW! ATTACK!"

Lyn's eyes flew wide as she rolled onto her shoulders, and pushed off, her blade clashing into Zugu's chainmail leggings, and skiming up along his flesh. Her she slipped through his grasp with the grace of a fish in a stream, and flipped, her blade lashing directly along her opponent's spine. She landed on her feet with a smug smile, even as Zugu swung low and wide, aiming to hit the woman with his blade. He smirked as he thought he had her. In a flash of movement, lyn was at his side, pulling the blade along zugu's nose. The bridge erupted into blood as the blade bit into his flesh. The last thing zugu ever saw was his own expression of fear as the metallic surface slashed into his eyes. The blade pulled away, a small ribbon of blood following the tip as the blood left the blade.

Zugu, in his state of shock, and his tensed muscles, stood straight up, screaming as though he had been cut by a thousand needles. Lyn simply plundged the blade into his armpit, the motion shattering the side of his skull as the tip erupted from his body. The stubborn brigand refused to die however.

Implaed by the deadly lass' blade, he screamed. He could do nothing but scream, even as she jerked the blade downward, cleaving through even his chainmail leggings.

However, lyn failed to take into account her own strength, as she jerked it about, and it cut cleanly into the brigand's head, neatly slicing the man coplyetely in two.

Lyn took a step away and fell onto her knees as a faint gust blew into her hair. Zugu's face hit the ground first, followed by his ass, and entrails. Sain had just ridden up, expecting to be the hero of the battle, when he had witnessed this.

He promptly fainted, his horse galloping through the bandit's remains, and dumping the exhausted knight into the guts of the man.

Kent, truly disgusted by this sight, quickly dismounted, helping lyn to her feet.he walked her to his horse, and sat her down, looking away from the carnage.

Sain felt his body lifted.

Sain opened his eyes.

Sain lost his lunch.

This was what kai saw as he sat beside lyn, and wrapped her in his arms, hushing her as she strained not to sob. "I was… Almost dead… I saw them… mother… Father… all of them… pushing me away."

Kai reached down, touching the now completely quiet seal. It was cracked.

"Heaven seal…. I see…" he muttered. "Lyn… Today was not your day to die… There was no way we could have predicted this battle… But you did well."

She cried. The hard woman, who so completely embodied everything Kai admired, cried like a child. She wept into his shoulder. "Shhh… Hush, Lyn… You are a warrior, and a princess. You have no right to cry as though you were a babe. You have slain a man, not in anger, but indefense of your life. This right is sacred to all humans. You have broken nothing, and have made no sin. Cry not for yourself, but cry for those who were not able to defend themselves from this man's wrath."

She nodded solemenly. Kent watched the two. He was… impressed by the woman's prowess. But, she had died. This, Kent knew. Sain wandered off to puke in peace, and find his horse. Kent nodded, and pitched a small tent, pushing some treelimbs together, he lit a fire. Kai lay his charge down to sleep.

The fire burned for an age, both of them, Young, but experienced knight, young, inexperienced tactician, stared at it's flames. Kent broke the silence.

"You carry a heaven seal?"

"What of it?"

"Did it crack?"

"Yes…"

"I thought so."

"Why do you ask?"

"They can only break ten times…. And then, heaven in unsealed."

"How many are there…"

"One, such as yours is… Three others…"

"So it does what I think?"

"Yes and no… that heaven seal is special… it negates your oath as a strategist…"

"How so?"

"Unsealing heaven…. Unseals the dragons."

"I see…"

"And the one who gave the dragon slayers to man…"

"The…"

"Yes."

"I cannot let it break then…"

"The breaks only apply to those who will bear the heaven seals."

"I see…. And the Bloodbind amulet?"

"Is the trigger…."

"I see… So she is more valuable than any can know."

"Truly. This is why we must prevent Lundgren from fetching her."

"I see… So why are we marching straight into his jaws?"

"You have another piece to the puzzle in your mind already."

"The glowing?"

"Is heaven's energy pouring off. It can aid your charge. It will slowly increase their potential. And her subordinates."

"I see."

"Heaven is unsealed to us knights… Death is not an option for us."

"Alright."

"Goodnight Kai." Kent said, and stood up. He walked to his pack, and laid down. Kai simply fell back, and merely thought. All the while, The heaven seal pulsed slowly at his side.


	3. Chapter 2: Sword of Spirits

A/n: Nice. My name is Arimadios, is all you need to know. I just found something to break my writers block. So now, a few disclaimers. I don't own Fire Emblem in any way.

Onto the story!

My name is Kai. I'm an apprentice tactician with no master, other than Milady Lyn. I have numerous gifts, and a few… mystical objects at my disposal, but my combat prowess is lacking. I can telepathically link to all who swear an oath, in any form, to my Lady Lyn. This however, does not include those who swear to kill her. Therefore, I cannot help milady Lyn with her personal quest, the one to destroy the Taliver bandits.

Sain is an Aloof Knight, in ridiculous green armor. However, his power is not undeniable, though his armor is sorely lacking in defensive capabilities, and his horse… well, let's say, his stallion is more interested in Kent's mare. Sain however, has a mind much more perverted than this. He has a habit. A very bad habit. Female flesh turns him into a raging adolescent, sex crazed, perverted, teenager.

Kent is more balanced. He is levelheaded, and quite logical. He is no stranger to my gifts, though magic in any form tends to unnerve him. We all tend to be at odds, seeing as we had very… unnatural meeting circumstances. Kent however, knew more about magic than he let on.

Lady Lyndis Caelin. Princess of the Caelin Canton of Lycia. She was my master, and I would follow her to the ends of hell, if need be, if only to die by her side. Of course, the fact that she now held me, so to speak, by the balls, by possessing my blood bind amulet, I would have no choice but to follow her. But, I also followed her out of a second debt. I had been saved by her. I suppose my Heaven Seal saved her once, but, I took no regard into that.

We stopped by a small village, near the shrine of Mani Katti, the Sacred Sacaen sword. I had done research on the blade. Supposedly, it was originally a killing edge, that a Sacaen swordmaster used to slay beasts in the far past. I had decided that, on the off chance, that one of the more obscure texts I had read, pointing at the owner of the blade, originally being a female of the Lorca tribe, was true; Lyn herself might possibly be a descendant of this woman. She certain fought with a natural grace some swordmasters would be jealous of.

I stepped near Kent quietly. "Sir Kent, a moment, if you will…"

Kent nodded quietly, and stood beside me. "What troubles you, Commander Kai?" His eyes held a brotherly concern.

"Your father… was a blond haired mage, correct?"

"How did you know?"

"Lucky guess. His name wouldn't happen to have been… Lord Joseph, would it?"

"This is true."

"Ah, one of the foremost men in designing more competent ways for a strategist to command an army. My amulet is based on one of his designs, with my father's reworking."

"I see…"

"This, I now know, explains much."

Kent nodded solemnly, and walked back towards Sain, who was eyeing a female in the small traveling crowd closely. Too closely. I walked over to Lady Lyn, and picked up a basic Iron Spear. Overpriced as they were, in Sacae, I didn't care. We would inevitably find someone who wielded a sword soon. I laid the money on the counter. Then I had a brilliant idea. "Lady Lyn, would you like to train?"

She looked at me as though I was insane. "Why? Did you not say you detested combat?"

"Truthfully, I know full and well how to utilize every weapon I come across. However, I cannot even begin to comprehend battle." I said ruefully. "I'll explain more, as we venture out of this crowd."

She nodded, and walked beside me, as I carried the lance over my shoulder, as a true soldier on the march would.

"You see… Strategists have so much inner magic, that outer, or external, magic can literally singe our souls. This is why we do not fight. Now, you heard me talk of the weakness of a sword, against a lance, and its strength against an, axe, correct?"

"Yes, I have, Kai. But something still disturbs me."

"What would that be?"

"Well, some things I didn't understand."

He nodded quietly. "Alright. Let me demonstrate the reason a lance is well suited for combat against a blade?"

She nodded an affirmative. When I took a basic lance man's stance, she took hers. I gave the nod of approval, and she rushed me.

I simply planted the butt of my spear in the ground, and held it at arms length as her blade slammed into the iron shaft of my weapon.

I simply took two steps back, and my spear was quickly at the ready, though I was using the blunt end. I jammed her harshly in the stomach, pushing her back a step. A single step foreword, and a spin of my spear, and I had the point straight in her face.

"You see? A Sword is to light. To accurate, to effectively counter a spear. I performed this maneuver countering a horizontal slash, you see? By letting the counterweight of the spear's butt carry it to the ground, as I step out of range of the slash, I gain the advantage of readiness."

"You will eventually see that, however, I am exhibiting poor form, for blocking a vertical slash. Try it."

Lyn nodded, and took a few steps back. She charged in again, her sword arcing downward as she ran. I simply pushed his spear in front of me, and pulled upward, disrupting Lyn's balance. I then slammed her in the stomach with a harsh foot. She bounced backwards, as I readied a thrust, once again, stopping before I struck her with another lethal blow.

"This time, two things went wrong. First, you telegraphed your attack. I didn't say weather you had to slash down or up. You chose down. From your natural stance, up, would have been more opportune."

"The second was that I had time to hit you twice. Surely you are faster. The cross block is one of the fastest lance blocks usable. However, it requires you to throw your weight around quite a bit."

I smiled, and pulled Lyn up. "This is all the tutelage I can give you."

A resounding thwack sounded from the market, and a green armored blur made an impact comparable to a flux spell hitting the ground, in the grassy turf. His dazed eyes were only made more dazed as he was in an opportune space to glare up a certain woman's dress.

I sighed, and picked this man up. "You idiot. We are fleeing straight into the teeth of an enemy. You should NOT let your hands wander like that." I patted him on the shoulder armor, and gave him the spear. "I'm off to buy some traveling horses. No sense in pushing your Warhorses to hard."

Kent was also at the stables of the small encampment. He was looking over a set of four horses. "Do you think they would be able to travel hard?"

"Aye. They would. All sturdy, and with a decent natural clip." He nodded, and forked over the gold for the horses. He frowned. "It looks like hard tack and water for a while." I looked at Kent, who nodded solemnly. "I thought ahead. Perhaps you are a decent hand at hunting?"

"No, I'm afraid. But, if I am correct… Lyn would make an excellent archer. She has very accurate movement. In complete control of her body."

"True, but she wouldn't be a good hand in combat, with a bow."

"With her current training, yes, Kent. But can't a Lycian learn to speak Bernian? Or Sacaen?"

"True. I suppose we could let her hunt."

"Then the most agile horse to her. That one." I said looked at a Sorrel who had a wizened look in his eyes.

"He's not the fastest…"

"But, for his strength, he is quite adequate as a hunting horse."

Kent nodded quietly. "Good. It's done. Let's head on to the shrine. If we push these horses, we should reach the shrine before sundown tomorrow."

Lyn was busy ignoring Sain so utterly that he didn't even have the heart to grope her. "But Milady Lyn. Surely you-"

"I said you will be quiet. I am thinking. If you are not gentlemanly enough to allow me some privacy, I shall simply cut you in two."

He gulped. And then he spotted Kent eyeing the pair with suspicious eyes. Kai was calmly knocking an arrow in a bow in his hands.

"Sain. Dismount. You are to ride the paint over here. Kent, the Young mustang. Lyn, The Old Sorrel, and I shall ride this Roan."

Sain frowned. "The Paint? He's no more than a pup!"

"But, he is the second strongest, and the most enduring one of the lot."

"Ah."

"Kent chose the mustang because of its qualities, as a good horse to ride, simply for its staying power. It's by and far not the fastest of the four, but it gets the job done."

"I chose the roan because of its speed. He is fast, but built for very quick sprints. Not as fast as Bernian Wyvern Runners, but, quick enough."

"The Sorrel for Lyn, Because of its Strength, and speed. The strongest, and only the second fastest. Excellent for Hunting. Which, if anyone wants meat, they will have to wish Lyn luck for. The bow is for you. It's not for combat use. It's a simple Hunter's bow."

Lyn nodded. "I've used them before. I am a fair hand at hunting small game. Perhaps bigger game will be easier to fell now."

"Most likely. We should set out. We want to be far from a village, if bandits attack once more."

"True. Hostages wouldn't be a nice thing."

The venture over the plains was held at a decent little clip. Kai munched on a small piece of hard tack, and smeared a little of his only comfort on it. Bernian Mustard.

Kent watched with horrified eyes. "How can you eat Bernian Mustard, on hard tack?" Kai just smiled at him. "By ignoring the fact that the Tack tastes better than the mustard."

Sain sighed. "You know what Bernian mustard is made of?"

"Coming from your mouth Sain," Lyn said, with a quirky smirk, "It's likely to be made of condensed wyvern seed, and the scent of sex."

Sain looked at her. "How did you know?"

Every horse stopped, every human save Sain half frowned, half smirked. Sain's horse bucked him off on the ground, and every human simply laughed.

Kent broke the laughter first. "Sain, you do know that it's made of Halbornus Peppers, Mustard Seed, Imported straight from Caelin, and of course, Water and salt, correct?"

"No! I'm serious! They put wyvern seed in it! The Wyvern fruit tree!"

Every human looked guilty at each other. Lyn had a slight blush; Kai had a look of pure guilty disgust at himself, and Kent… Well, Kent just looked guilty.

"We were talking about… a different kind of Wyvern seed."

Sain mounted his horse, and huffed. "Disgusting, sir Kai. Everyone knows wyvern seed is toxic to humans! And if you do happen to survive the implantation, which is physically impossible, the child born to you would be half wyvern, half human! Such Blashphemic sayings should not cross your lips."

Kent couldn't resist as they stared trotting along again. "And what about the smell of sex?"

"Ah, that's because the most favorite style of Bernian mustard, Wyvern fire, is made in the same room that the Owners of said establishment, hold their nightly forays."

It was no secret that Bernian were perverts, beyond belief, even. But, even so, Sain's knowledge of Bern was a bit unnerving. "How would a Lycian Knight know much about the Militant Bern country, hum?"

Sain sighed. "I lost my virginity to a wyvern rider by the name of Lucia, Deep in the Bern territories when I was thirteen. Why shouldn't I oblige a woman who had just eaten the root of a lusiy Bush?"

Lyn looked at Sain. "What does it do then?"

"It's an aphrodisiac, but very nutritional."

"Wrong." The female said solemnly. "It's a Root that drives the consumer into a mad lust for nine days. It's what female wyverns eat, consistently during the mating season. If they detect a Female who hasn't had one, a male wyvern will give it to her, as a gift, if he finds her suitable as a mate. Obviously, her wyvern was male, and very into her.

Sain sighed. "Your point being? I merely didn't resist her advances… much…"

Kai frowned. "It's Logical. The only way Sain could get into a woman's pants is to be raped by one."

Sain Blanched, while Lyn and Kent laughed softly. "I was not raped! If anything, it would have been me, taking advantage of her state!" He fumed.

Everyone looked at him. "So, you raped her?"

"Well… no…"

Kai sighed. "Enough of this. I cannot eat my disgustingly hard biscuit in peace with all this talk of hard things of another nature…. God, now I don't even want to eat it."

They all laughed at that, as Kai took another bite of biscuit, eliciting Lyn to raise her eyebrow. Kai returned it with a glare that wilted the grass beyond Lyn's head.

The sunlight was beginning to sink beyond the mountains of Bern. "We should rest. This day will have taken a toll on all of our buttocks. Lyn, would you like to try hunting?"

"Sure. I see a herd of Antelius to the north. I'll snag us one."

Kai nodded, and dismounted, unpacking the tent. "Then I'll set up camp. Kent, Sain, if you would be so kind as to go fetch some firewood, I'd be much obliged."

The Calavarymen nodded, and ventured off to get the Wood, Snickering at Kai. Kai simply sighed. He pieced together the tent, and watched Lyn hauling a simple animal back towards them. He smiled, and began to butcher the corpse.

They sat around the fire, Stuffed to the brim, and overfull. Kai was tanning the hide with a chemical solution, and stretching it taught between some stakes.

Kent was staring up at the stars, smiling.

Sain was off behind the Tent, doing something. Probably reliving himself, after the large meal.

Lyn Smiled slightly, just resting. She yawned, and crawled into the tent with a content expression. Kai smiled. The Hide was curing, and he was getting tired. "Would someone take a watch?"

Sain hollered from behind the tent calmly "I will!" He thought he vaguely heard some sound of pain and relief mixed, but disregarded it.

Kent nodded. "The boy could sleep through a war between his pants and Bern, but, on watch, he won't sleep until the sun rises or he is relieved.

Kai nodded, and took his place in the tent beside Lyn, glad she was clothed.

Kai was plagued by dreams that night.

The first, and actually, only dream he had in his fitful rest, was of a small girl, carrying a spear, followed by an extremely small wyvern. The wyvern's Flame colored scales shimmered in the moonlight, as Kai realized that it was a dracovern. One of the few Wyverns still related close enough to Dragons to possess true flight, and Flaming breath. But, it was still very very young. The girl had a happy expression.

Then he heard it. Galloping in the distance. The Small Wyvern-like creature bristled his fur, underneath his scales. His scales and neck spines rose with the fur, giving him a very menacing expression.

The pair of bandits dismounted close to them.

The first was a tall halberdier. His long polearm pointed at the Wyvern pup menacingly. The second had a Dragonsword in his hands, and was tall, and built.

The girl grabbed her wyvern protectively.

Then he heard her voice with his ears. "No! You can't take him!"

Kai Jumped up, grabbing the only weapon he personally kept. A Simple Katar. He split it apart, and strapped both pairs on, dashing towards the girl's startled scream. "NOO! NO! GARNET! NO! Don't take my friend! He's all I've got! Please! No!"

Kai frowned. The halberdier had stepped to the beast's side. He grabbed it by the base of its stubby wings, and grinned.

"Did you not hear the girl?" Kai said quietly. "Touch the wyvern again…" He said as a small flare began to brew in his mind. "And I will kill you both before you can take your next breath of clean air…"

The Bernian man, a Hero of a long passed Skirmish stared at the man in his greenish robes. "What's a Strategist going to do? Take the Wyvern, Kilo. Tamnu Shall deal with this one!"

Kai growled, and shouted with force "Strategist's blaze!"

A Wave of Flames, as hot as the hells themselves, appeared about the halberdier, trapping him in place. Then he dashed towards the Hero. With a jump, he leaped onto the blade of the sword, his tabi protecting him for the split second it took his to take the last step, and appear on the other side of the hero, two small slashes appearing on his foe's face, trailing a falling ribbon of blood to the Strategist's katar.

Blood seeped out around the wounds, and slowly, his head fell in pieces, thankfully hidden from the young woman's eyes by his shield.

The blaze had begun to recede, and Kai rolled backwards, slamming his feet into the Halberdier's Face, propelling him backwards…

Into the waiting fangs of a youthful wyvern, who bit cleanly through the arm of the Halberdier, Eliciting a sharp scream. Then, he was silenced, as the wyvern bit into the man's chest, crushing the armor, and breaking his ribs instantly, before puncturing his heart.

The wyvern tossed the thing aside and clumsily galloped to his charge, of sorts, and twining his tail about her leg, and huddling close to her, hissing low at the strategist.

Kai bowed before the wyvern, his face touching the ground in respect. Having been raised in Bern, he slowly Raised, and crawled towards the wyvern, putting his head under the beast's face.

"If my life you desire, Wyvern, you may take it. If my friendship you Desire, Lord Wyvern, please, bring yourself and the young mistress to my camp."

He said quietly. He backed off before standing, with his back turned to the wyvern. All respect had been shown to the pup, and his woman, but he still had doubts. If the wyvern didn't come, it would be the loss of a powerful ally.

But he heard the Wyvern cooing softly to the woman, as if asking her permission. She sat down sidesaddle on the youngling's back, and rode the small beast towards the strategist.

Kai Felt the heaven seal pulse. He put a hand on the seal, and nodded. The crack had gotten slightly better, but was still present. "Thank you, Mistress of the Wyvern, and Lord Wyvern."

Once more, Honorifics were needed. Kai sighed quietly, and stepped near the dwindling fire, looking into Sain's eyes. Sain had watched the entire thing, in the glow of the firelight, caused b the blaze. He had been fetching his spear as the sound got nearer, but was unsure to wake the others.

He nodded at the pair of them, The Wyvern and Lady, as they neared.

"Master Kai, I see you brought the two under attack back to camp…" He said as Kai put away his katar with a sigh. He could see the young strategist crying. "Master Kai, Please, not in front of the guests. It is near Dawn, you see… We will journey soon. Shall I wake the others?"

Kai nodded, before walking into the inky blackness, and sitting down, weeping with all his might. "I can't do this any more… I can't! I don't have the soul for it… Please, Whatever Deity can see me! Just… JUST TAKE ME AWAY!"

He stared at the sky, for almost half an hour as he noticed sunlight creeping towards him. He sighed. He wiped his eyes, and steeled himself for the day ahead.

Kent was showing the utmost Respect to the Wyvern, Trying to stroke it, to show it no threat was meant. The Wyvern had an Expression of withheld hostility.

Lyn was chatting with the woman, who looked like she was half Sacaen, in descent.

He tapped Sain on the back, who nodded. "I'm not as perverted as you think, Lord Kai…" he said as Kai glared at the slap mark. "I woke Lady Lyn up as I tripped over Kent." Kai nodded. "Thanks for allowing me my time."

"You're not going to help us in combat, then?"

"My soul couldn't handle the tension, of that. Besides, my gifts are better prepared as a strategical thing."

Sain nodded, and walked to the horses. The secret was between men, and only the young Wyvern and Wyvern master knew, outside of the two. For some reason, he felt he had nothing to fear from them.

Kai Knelt down beside Lyn and the girl.

"Milady Lyn? How are you doing this morning?"

"Wonderful! It seems Sir Sain saved this girl and her pet in the night." The girl looked at Kai with apologetic eyes, glancing at her Wyvern. Kai nodded solemnly. Her eyes brightened a bit. "May I ask your Name, miss?"

"It's Ariana. Ariana Wyvern."

"Ah. A Wyvern Princess. I thank you for your company. Would you like to journey with us? We are headed to the shrine of Mani Katti." He said, nodding to her.

She nodded. "I will. You are Kai, the Strategist, correct? And this is Lady Lyn, Kent is trying to pet Garnet, my Wyvern, and Sain was the green armored demon I saw in the night, last night."

Kai smiled. "He is no demon, he was just lucky, last night." He said pointedly.

She nodded. "Well, Then, I guess I should venture with you."

He smiled, and mounted his horse as Kent packed the tents. Kai rode to the site of the battle, and picked up a spear from the Corpse of the Halberdier, and wiped the blood clean. He brought it back to Ariana, and handed it to her. "Here. Your wyvern may be small, but he his powerful. Nonetheless, you should learn to protect him. Speak with Sain About proper lance tactics." He said calmly. Sain had a better lance technique than Kent.

The ride south was punctuated by a brief stop at a traveling Merchant's Sloop. Kai spent all of their recent earnings on Wyvern chow. Namely, a Veritable herd of Antelius Sides, Salted, and magically frozen. He gave a side to the Wyvern who happily ate, before he placed them on his two newest pack horses. The rest of the journey was uneventful.

That was, until they reached the Shrine. They heard a loud scream from the shrine, and saw a Middle aged man, standing with watchful eyes. Almost as if he was standing guard.

Kai signaled the stop quietly, and directed the three warriors down south, to visit the homesteads near the shrine, To Discover what the matter was. He Looked at Ariana with a slight nod of approval, and then knelt down, looking Garnet in the eyes. "Garnet… Neither of you are ready for combat. I want you both to fall back to the forts we just passed. Take cover within one." He said quietly. The Wyvern nodded, but waited on Ariana's Approval. "Ariana, Take good care of your Friend. Garnet, protect Ariana. Go on."

Kai sighed as they trotted away. Then he looked at the homesteads. The three had arrived and were now talking with the men and women inside. He nodded solemnly, and walked to the man standing guard. When he heard the man grunt, he looked at him. "Is something the matter?"

"You need to leave. Now. Go someplace else. Shrine is closed for cleaning."

"I doubt they would have to close a shrine this big, just to clean it."

"You leave now, and I won't kill you."

Kai looked shocked. Then he realized. The man was one of the brigands. He looked on in fear as the man slammed him with an axe, sending him barreling into a wall. The wall cracked slightly, and Kai coughed. A Splatter of blood lay on the ground.

Lyn was the first to see it. "KENT! SAIN! QUICKLY! They're trying to kill Kai!"

Kent and Sain nodded, charging towards the entrance while Lyn ran like the fires of hell fueled her soul. "YOU ROTTEN BASTARD!"

She screamed her lungs out as the two knights went directly for Kai, dismounting and checking the boy. Kai looked dazed, and weak, but he seemed just as strong as any other day. They quickly escorted him to one of the forts, as Lyn reached her target.

Lyn screamed bloody murder as she swung her blade as hard as she could. A Loud chink was heard as the head of the brigand's axe went flying. Her own sword bent harshly, but she continued to attack, in a wild fury, trying to slay the beast in front of her.

The Brigand Shifted over, and dodged her first strike, but the second went true, slicing into his arm, and eliciting a scream of pain, Pulling two more off of the shrines Natural Hills.

She shut her mouth quickly, and lunged, her bent blade piercing through the brigand's stomach, and she ripped to the side, the now slightly dinged up blade nearly ripping the man in half.

She turned, and swung wildly at the brigand slipping up behind her, even as he simply grabbed her wrists, and flung her against the wall.

Kent had seen, and was running for her as fast as he could; While Sain and Ariana cared for the injured Kai. Kai coughed harshly every time they touched his back. "I think… they broke my ribs…" He uttered, knowing full and well they had also punctured his lung, due to a stone sticking just a little to far out.

Lyn was in pain. Her hand groped around through the tears in her eyes, trying to find her sword. She frowned as she felt something stick her hand. Wiping the tears slowly, she looked, and pulled the shard of metal free. "Oh no…" She said. Her sword had shattered. It was then she saw the twin axmen behind her. "No… no no! NO!"

She lashed out, trying to kick them, but they simply batted her back into the ground. She struggled up against the wall, standing up. Their yellow tinged clothing made her realize something. These were Taliver Bandits. And they wanted her blood.

Kent burst through the trees, even as the first bandit began to swing. His axe collided with stone above Lyn's head, causing the crack in the wall to widen. Lyn was huddled down, looking for a way out. Then it happened.

A slowly drizzle of blood hit her feet, followed by a veritable geyser. Kent had rammed his lance through the neck of the bandit, and was still riding, slowly yanking the wound open, until the man's bones yanked it free of his hands, and broke it. Kent cursed as his horse bucked, dodging an axe blow. Lyn lay there, pushing the bandit's falling corpse away, covered in the red, iron smelling liquid. She rolled out of the area where the battle was occurring, and backed up.

Sain Burst through the bushes, and snatched her up, putting her in front of him on his horse. He quickly turned, riding hard back towards the forts. Though, even at a time like this, he couldn't resist the urge. He scooted his hips a little closer to Lyn's, who, although stunned by the gore that had showered her, had the sense to elbow him hard in the ribs. The now Windless Sain scooted back a bit, and tried to breath. "And that's just the beginning, Bastard!" She yelled above the horse's gallop.

Kent Stared at the brigand in front of him, his sword at the ready, and his horse circling.

"You know, Knight, My friend was really a new recruit!"

"Then do not put Journeymen in a battle!" He said vehemently and jumped his horse forward, landing side on to the bandit, and lunging with the sword. He missed cleanly, but the bandit had his axe aimed at the knight's Leg. The leg armor was barely dented, but the bruise welled up nicely inside the armor, and his horse whinnied.

"Kun, Chi!" He said, His Vaguely Ilian words causing the horse to plant one of its bladed hoofs in the bandit's foot as it jumped clear of the closeness.

He turned his horse and looked at the bandit who was screaming in utter pain. He wore no shoes, so the damage was apparent. His left foot was completely crushed, and there were no longer toes.

Kent backed his horse two steps before ordering it to charge, and plunging the blade deep into the bandit's chest, holding tightly as his horse charged on through, causing the blade to slam against his foe's ribs, before he had to pull it free. Even then, the blade suffered the damage of ripping through the Brigand's collar bone. Three sets of eyes looked up in cold silence around the knight. He sighed, and galloped back towards the fort. He could hear arguing inside the shrine.

The injured Tactician Slowly rose, and stood between Lyn and Sain, who were arguing vehemently. "I SAID BE QUIET!" He yelled, and then went into a coughing fit, drawing Ariana to his side. "Kai, Be still, your ribs are broken…"

"I am still… the commander of this Army, by Lady Lyn's leave… I will not tolerate this infighting." He gasped slowly before throwing up a wave of blood that had trickled into his stomach. He growled lowly. "Now… Ariana, treat me if you will. Lyn, Go begin lashing horses to tear down the weak section of wall. There is a fallen tree close by. Tie two horses to it, and hang it between them. Use it like a battering ram. Bust down the wall."

Lyn nodded. Shoddy, but effective. She stalked outside, growling at Sain harshly. Kent nodded to her as he dismounted and rushed inside.

"Master Kai, I have found that there are at least two more brigands inside the shrine."

Kai nodded slowly "So, I see… What happened to your leg…?"

"A brigand hammered me in the leg. It's just a bruise."

Kai growled. "It's not JUST a bruise, it's a wound. An Exploitable weakness. Help Lyn with the Ram. Sain, I want you to walk around the front of the Shrine, and enter. Be wary of an ambush."

Sain nodded, and mounted his horse, galloping off towards the small hills inside the short road to the front of the shrine.

Kai laid back on the softer bed, screwing up his face in pain. "Let me rest, Ariana. My back feels as if it's been torn open." Ariana nodded calmly, and sat down on her wyvern, who looked a bit concerned.

Kent and Lyn had assembled the ram, and rode their horses hard, charging towards the building. They suddenly pulled their mounts up short, flinging the wooden payload at the wall, nearly busting it down. "RELOAD!" Lyn cried, and marched her horse towards the log, as Kent followed suit.

Sain walked his horse into the shrine. He looked around suspiciously. There weren't any brigands in sight, but he could see a man with a large sword sitting tall on the throne, a smug expression on his face. He pulled his spear to the ready, and charged. "AHHHHHH!" He screamed loudly, his spear coming up for a harsh stabbing strike.

He didn't expect it when the Brigand leapt out of the shadows, grabbing his spear, and pulling him off the horse. Sain fell back heavily, drawing his sword calmly, and facing off against the brigand. The brigand leapt up to attack the slightly winded knight, and Sain simply rolled under his foe, and turned, his sword lashing through the man's hips in a quick flash.

The brigand landed quietly, and then fell apart with a sickening thud and a plop, blood pooling around him like a newborn river in the spring.

Kent cursed as the wall fell in, as he saw Sain lying there, panting.

"SAIN!" "Kent! My friend! No worries, I just need to catch my breath. My horse ran off after this brigand unseated me, and I cannot find my spear."

Kent nodded, dismounting next to Sain. "You look winded. Perhaps you should get some fresh air. These candles do you no good." Sain nodded.

Lyn stood in front of them. "Well, Sain?" Sain stood slowly, faking a trip into Lyn's bosom. He soon found her fist in his face, and a nice black welt sealing his left eye shut. He walked towards the fort, a defeated look on his face.

Kent mounted on his horse once more, drawing his blade to the ready, and charging it towards the man on the throne. The man's quiet cackling sounded quietly. "Mani Katti will not be mine? Then I will show it who is worthy! I don't need the sacred sword…" he said, looking right at Kent as he leapt into the air, "TO DESTROY YOU!"

His guttural voice was loud and shocking to Kent's Horse as it reared back in fright, as the butt of the Mercenary's sword slammed him into the ground.

Kent struggled up quickly, his blade at the ready. His foe smirked, and leapt again, his heavier sword slamming into Kent's slightly damaged iron one. The parry stopped the blow, but did nothing for Kent's Ego as he saw his blade crack.

The man named glass swung again. The sidelong slash busted through Kent's Last hope, slamming him aside. He grunted as he felt a rib crack.

Glass grinned manically. "The old man can run, but the sword cannot! Where is it? Where is Mani Katti?"

Lyn dashed to Kent as Glass's Back was turned. She dragged him to his feet, and they ran outside, collapsing next to Sain.

My eyes flew open. I was looking at it all wrong… Ever since the battle with Zugu, I had become more and more detached from myself. That was why we were loosing. "That's it!" I said. And I started meditating. Gloriously, the pain ceased.

I felt myself shifting to Lyn. "Lyn! Are you okay?"

"Yes… I'm fine Kai. Glad to see you're back with us."

Kent nodded and smiled. "A little Wounded, but no worse for the wear."

Sain nodded. "A Big seething Hole in my ego, but I'm fine."

I nodded to them. "Good. I'll be right back."

I shifted my presence to Ariana, but found myself instead looking at a Wyvern.

The wyvern simply smiled, and I felt a voice inside my head. "Well well, it seems like you ARE a tactician after all!"

I looked at him strangely. "You're kidding me… Wyverns are Telepathic?"

Garnet just looked at his claws calmly. "Yes… We are. How do you think we're so much better than Pegasus at battle?"

I was stunned. Articulate to a fault, and nonchalant… No wonder Wyverns were battle mounts. "Oh fine. It doesn't matter. Come on. I need you to get Ariana."

"She charged off towards the shrine."

"WHAT! Without my orders! Is she INSANE?"

"No, she's brave, and she has a Wyvern."

I looked at him strangely. He smiled, and got up, before taking off with a burst of speed I had not seen any beast give. "Fine. I'll help her out." He said, and stopped in front of her, motioning to his back. Ariana smiled gleefully, and nodded.

She mounted him like a true Knight would mount a wyvern. "So, she's had training?"

"No, she's had me to teach her how to fight from wyvern back."

I nodded slowly. They were a blur as they passed by Lyn. "There he is. There's Glass… I recognize him. He was wanted for three murders in Bulgar. They think he's got a connection to the Taliver!"

Garnet Nodded, and slammed into Glass. Though a mere child, by wyvern Standards, He was heavy enough to bowl a man over very well.

Ariana Simply jammed her spear into Glass's Lungs as he turned. The Mercenary screamed loudly, breaking the spear off.

"DAMN" I shouted. There went our last spear, and this man was well trained with a sword.

Garnet smiled. "No worries." And inhaled. A Searing wave of dry heat shot forth, causing wood near Glass to catch, rather quickly. Glass stopped dead in his tracks, holding his blade before his face, watching the metal glow red. Better to have a busted sword than a pair of busted eyes he thought.

That's when he realized his shirt was catching fire, heating the already hot chain mail beneath his tunic up even more. The Metal began to melt, catching glass's flesh on fire.

Glass screamed harshly, his body being incinerated, as Garnet stood there, watching the pyre. Ariana giggled with glee. "GOOD JOB GARNET!" She cackled quietly. The man's screaming was permeated by gasps of air and sobs. Kai watched in utter fascination.

Ariana dismounted, and began to dance around the burning man, whose sword began to melt back down onto his body, the iron unable to take the heat. "Fire Fire, Burning higher, making music like a choir!"

She chanted this as she danced around the man, until his screaming stopped. She giggled, and continued to dance. Kai looked at Garnet, who shrugged. "Her Parents Died in a harsh winter, from the cold. I saw her shivering there, and I comforted her. When she discovered I could breathe fire, the only thing that fought away the cold better than my body, she never left my side. She Loves fire."

Kai nodded quietly. Bernian winters were hard and cold. Worse almost than Ilian.

The soldiers had spent the afternoon dragging corpses out of the cathedral, and Garnet spent it barbequing them with his arid breath. He feasted while Ariana played with fire. Kai rolled his eyes at them. A damned Dragon and a young lady who loved to burn things.

Kent and Sain were repairing their armor at a small farmer's market just to the south of the shrine. They were also purchasing new equipment for the group. Kent was holding Sain away from the owner's daughter, under pain of a pike, where the sun doesn't shine. Sain, for once, held himself in check.

Lyn was trying to open the door to the Priest's Sanctum, and sat heavily on the throne, sighing.

The door creaked open, and a Bishop walked out. He smiled. "So, you are the one who defeated the Man, Glass, are you?"

"No, but I am the leader of the Troops who did." I said, walking towards him slowly, blotting the blood from my lips. My entire body hurt, and I was nearly delirious. Seeing me nearly collapse onto a pew was enough for the bishop, who immediately grabbed a staff.

"By the Goddess, Child, what happened!" He said excitedly, and stood beside me, chanting slowly. "Powers of Life, I call unto thee, Please, Heal this boy of his wounds. Make him well, Mend his body!" He said as a large glowing sphere that engulfed even his body erupted from the staff he held. "Take his pain!" And he slammed the staff down.

Suddenly, I was illuminated by the light, and I could feel my body mending. The holy staff's orb slowly cracked as it took my body's pain, but the process was complete before it was anywhere near broken, or spent.

I smiled as Kent and Sain received the treatment, Followed by Ariana and her mount, and then Lyn. The entire troop was healed, and we all relaxed. We hadn't felt this good since we had all just met in Bulgar.

That was when the Hand maiden of the shrine brought forth the Mani Katti. The bishop smiled. "For your Bravery, and Honor, Lady Lyn, I will allow you to touch this sacred blade."

Lyn grinned with glee. "I had only hoped to pray before it, but perhaps this will work much better."

She laid her hands on the markings along the sheathe, and began to pray.

Suddenly, I felt a pulse of energy from my heaven seal. "WHA?" I shouted, staring at the glow of my seal.

Suddenly, Lyn's eyes flew open, and the sheathe began to emanate a strong blue glow in her hands. "What is this!" She said anxiously.

The bishop stared in awe. "The blade! It has accepted you, Lady Lyn, as its master." He held onto his staff for support, the old man looking quite… strange. He was grinning much too wide for his old face. "Quickly, draw the blade!"

She obeyed without question, pulling the blade from it's sheathe. She expected it to come out with a slow jerky motion. It came out with a glide so smooth, I could have sworn only magic could have done it. She stared at the blade… "It came out effortlessly!"

I smiled at her. "Such a Lovely thing. It seems as if the blade could see your soul, and knew how much you needed its assistance." I smiled. "May we take the blade with us, Lord Bishop?"

I didn't know the man's name, so he just used the honorific for him. The bishop slowly nodded. "The shrine will take years to repair and resanctify. The blood spilt here would slowly corrupt the blade. So, I think, while the Shrine is in this state, I think it would be best to use the blade for its intended use. To protect those who cannot fight for themselves."

He obviously meant she should protect me, but I didn't mind. She had a sacred blade. We all turned, and bid them both farewell, as we walked out, and turned southwest, towards the Caelin Canton. We were homeward bound.

Along the path, Lyn finally admitted her fears. "It's not right… something's wrong… how can a blade choose me?"

I sighed. Sain spoke up. "Lady Lyn, you see, you're looking too much into the matter. Think of it like this. Some weapons feel more comfortable in your hands, correct? Well, the Mani Katti Itself feels VERY comfortable in your hand."

She nodded. "That, I think, I can accept. This is… My responsibility. This is my sword." She said with pride.

We both smiled, and Kent smirked. "And it was just waiting for you to draw it."

She looked unnerved. "Don't say that! I'm nothing special! I'm just an ordinary Lady."

We walked on, continuing our path, all smiling and content. The battles were forgotten, and we were all friends. I noticed Kent drop back to whisper something to Lyn. I smiled. Those two made a cute looking couple, and I knew Kent would give his life for Lady Lyn in a heartbeat.

Sain decided to speak up. "Lady Lyn, you do know that you are the granddaughter of Marques Caelin, No?"

She shook her head. "I didn't…." She looked kind of spooked. Kent spoke next. "We are journeying with you, to escort you to Caelin, so you can take your Rightful place…. But Lord Lundgren, your Uncle, and the Masques' Brother, wants the throne at any cost. He will not hesitate to kill you."

Lyn nodded, and Gulped. "My grandfather…. The only Family I have left… I must see him. I Must." She said this with a Certainty I had not seen in her save for when she fought against Batta. "Then we are Caelin bound. We will cross the mountain range, and head for Lycia through Bern's upper corner.

They were only a day away from the village, before Kai felt another pulse of his Heaven seal… Something was happening up ahead… something that could Decide Lyn's Fate.

A/N: Well well, we all know what happens next chapter, but what cruel twist will I put on it this time! Cackle The new addition to Lyndis's Legion, My OC Ariana and her Wyvern garnet make a nice team, don't you think?

Reviewers Corner!

Okay yeah, now, Onto the Reviewers corner.

MisterFuzzums: Yeah yeah, I'm working on it, eh? Trying to think of how I can make this more individual.

Renzokuken-sama: Well, now, you see, a gentleman never kisses and tells. Let's just say, that there are still a few mysteries about the "Heaven seal" that Kai possesses. And yes, The Taliver will be wiped out, in one of the Support Chapters, but you'll never guess who does it.

Asarin the Ananomus: Uhm… Thanks.


	4. Chapter 3: In Occupation's Shadow

A/n: Welcome back to my retelling of Fire Emblem. Hope you've all had a good end of the school year. I had a good getting laid off, so, let me get to writing!

-Ba-bump-

The pulse of the seal…. It was TELLING me something. It had to be. But what? I was… worried. My ribs still had an ache, and I was feeling like something akin to hell it's self was coming for us. It was time to wage war… but on whom, and when?

We arrived at the small community of villages on the border of Bern. We were almost out of the village when I felt a pulse so strong, I faltered off my horse. "STOP THE MOVEMENT!" I yelled as though it were my final wish.

Everyone stopped short, even as Garnet invaded my mind slightly. His hiss let me know he knew. 'I felt something odd as well.' I thought to myself calmly. Then I realized it was garnet. That would be unnerving, I knew. Is this how I sounded to all of them?

I pushed my thoughts aside. "Something… comes." I heard the beat of wings as a Pegasus flew down.

Unfortunately, I had the grace, tact, and good fortune, to receive the front hoof of a flying horse in my face. After I recovered from the slightly painful blow, wiping away the blood from my busted nose, the tears from my eyes, and unfreezing a small amount of antellius hide to help the swelling in my eyes, I looked at the girl who was riding on the beast's back.

"Damn right something comes, now, what in the nine hells are you doing near my Lyndis!"

Though slight, trim, fit, and undoubtedly beautiful, this girl was a minx. Sain, in his unfathomable wisdom, was staring at her with eyes that would bore through to the soul of the general with the thickest armor in the world. A mix of lust, and anger, I would say. Dangerous eyes.

Kent was eager to help me up, and give the woman a wide berth.

Ariana was also there, helping me up, rubbing a vulnerary on my face. I could vaguely think of laughing, even as I knew it was garnet, who was rejoicing in this very small victory for his ego.

Lyn was busy staring dumbly at Florina. She was blushing for some reason.

I suddenly felt Ariana stop rubbing my eyes. I wiped some vulnerary away, and was struck dumb and deaf. Florina was literally kissing Lyn. And Lyn WASN'T giving her an eye so black it would be invisible in the night.

For a total of three minutes we stood there. Even the bandits I could barely recognize coming up on our left were struck dumb.

"HOLD IT!"

My yelled distracted everyone from the blatantly public display of affection. "Bandits, please go back around the wall. We'll come out and fight or whatever in a moment." The leader nodded dumbly before he pushed all of his followers around the wall. Kent tapped Lyn and caught a fist in the face from the woman in white and blue.

Sain leapt towards her, and dragged the two apart, receiving very many blows from the Pegasus woman in the process.

"Alright, thank you Sain. Hold her down." I looked at garnet. "Excuse me, Garnet, do you have any idea in the nine hells what just happened."

'Well it's obvious, if you're telepathic. Lyn is of the persuasion that that is a simple Ilian custom. Whereas Florina, as her mind calls her body, is simply a dyke.'

"Err… a dyke?"

'Of the persuasion to seek a female for a mate, despite being female.'

I sighed. Great. A girl's girl. "Lyn… That's NOT an Ilian custom. That's an Excuse Florina uses to suck your face off."

Lyn looked at me strangely. "How did you…"

"Let's just say that this is no Ordinary Wyvern. Leave it at that."

Suddenly, a green Blur flew by me, slamming into a red armored man, they both ended up in a strangely yellow roll of pain.

"OH GOD! A Man touched me! EW! Oh god, Lyn! They'll hurt me! He touched me!"

Lyn's eyes caught a blaze, and I looked at garnet. He shook his head no. "Not that kind of touch Lyn."

"He was on top of Florina! How could he resist such an opportunity?"

Sain stood up, and calmly walked toward Florina. And then he did something no one expected. He punched her square between the eyes. "Ilian Wretch! Harm my commander, or my friend once more, and I will personally cleave the wings from your Mount!"

I looked at Lyn. "He's only a maritime Pervert." Her nod signified she understood.

Florina Looked at Sain. "Y-y-y-you Hit me!"

"Yes, I did. And you deserved it. You were acting like a Damned heathen with no education! If you are from Ilia, then act like it! I swear, if my mom had acted half as bad as you, I would have hit her too! Show some Decency!" Decidedly the perverted fool of a Big Brother to this army.

Kent was the learned Sage of a middle brother. Lyn was the average meek but fiery middle sister, Ariana and I, the Outside loners. I sighed. "Alright, that's it."

"BANDITS! Come on back!" I shouted.

The leader stepped around the wall, pointing at himself. God, bandits were so ignorant at times. "Yes, yes, You, Come on. What in the nine hells is going on here…"

He pointed at Florina. "She had her bitch of a horse land on me!"

Florina pointed her finger at her horse. "Do you know how hard it is to land one of these things!"

I sighed. "Florina, did you apologize to him?"

"HELL NO!" they shouted at the same time.

"Alright, that's it. We fight for it. The stakes? Florina and her mount. Winner takes all."

Sain grabbed her as she began to charge at me, holding her tightly by the arm, blocking her punches with one hand, looking bored. "Fine, I was going to suggest the same thing."

"Then shut up and get ready to fight."

As he went around the wall, I sighed. "On your training mission, Florina?"

She nodded. "Then you're a part of Lyndis' legion now."

I smiled at her. "Alright, Knights, Take the front. Wait in ambush around the pinch point we passed earlier."

Kent and Sain Nodded, hopping onto their mounts. Unfortunately, the only weapons they had were the two swords they had retained from the last battle.

"Ariana!"

The young Wyvern rider stood at attention. "I want you scouting. Take to the skies. Garnet, Inform me of everything you see. I want to know if the Bandit leader has a maggot on his ass, if you can see it. Only assist if you have to. Garnet is still our Trump Card. Are we clear, Ariana?"

"SIR!" She yelled as she grabbed up her lance and hopped aboard her wyvern. I would have put her in combat, but she had no armor.

Lyndis looked at the nearest village and jerked her thumb towards it. I nodded my approval, and smacked the Pegasus rider on the back. "Florina. Take to the skies, but fly low. They might have Archers. Head to the Northern village. Report anything you find. Do not ransack the homes, but warn them. We don't need civilian Casualties."

Florina Snorted. "I'll never take orders from a MAN!"

I looked over at her, and jerked her down to my face, snarling. "Then take orders from a Demon. Because if you don't get that sissy ass horsefly of this ground right now, I'm going to cut you into tomorrow night's meal with my Katar, capeesh?"

"Capeesh!" She shouted, and flew off. I smiled. Then I began to climb up a tree. Best way to see battle, was of course, from the treetops. I didn't bother shifting. I just reached out to garnet, smiling.

"Alright, what have we here, wyvern?"

'Looks like the Maggots on the Bandit leader are all dead.'

"Well, that's one less worry. Let's see… examine the pinch point."

Ariana nodded in unison with garnet, and they flew off, looking towards the ground. 'CHIEF!' garnet mind-hollered.

I switched astrally, even as I felt a new presence join the battle. I sat atop the wyvern, staring down. Kent and Sain had dismounted, their swords drawn as they waited on the first axe wielding murderer to charge into the small clearing near the bushes. But that wasn't my worry. An archer behind the wall was drawing a bead on Sain. "Got to run Garnet, Do me a favor, and drop a fresh load on one of those bandits."

I jumped down out of the tree, running towards Sain. There wasn't a way in hell he could dodge that arrow. He was in a very bad position, and that archer was using a damn good bow, even if it was very worn. It looked like it was on its last strings.

"SAIN!" I yelled, already working my hands in the pattern for one of my blessings. "CHAINS!" I yelled, even as the arrow whistled through the air. The ethereal chains draped over the arrow, and a wall of them formed in front of the arrow. Its silver tipped head slammed head on into them, and I grunted, feeling my fingers bleed as the held the position… Just a few seconds more and I could release the Position, but if I held it to long, that arrow would pierce right through my hand. "GET READY!"

Sain braced for impact as I let my hand loose the arrow. The silver tip slammed hard into Sain's shoulder armor, and he grunted, the dent in the armor barely cracking. A thin trickle of blood began to ooze out. He nodded his thanks, and leapt on the charging brigand, his blade aloft. "KENT! CROSS!" He shouted. His blade slipped across the bandit's Knee pits, the soft supple flesh giving way as the blade bit into the tendons and ligaments behind.

Kent smirked. "SLASH!" he yelled, and ran out of the bushes, his left handed swordsman ship was on par with that of a sword master's right hand. It sliced cleanly through the bandit's neck, but didn't decapitate him; instead, a soft blue light seemed to emanate from the man's throat. "SHIT! They have a Tactician!" Kent yelled, as he turned and plunged his blade through the brigand's chest, slaying him with the final blow. I doubt even a walling blessing would have held him back.

They both fell back to the bushes, and nodded in unison. "Mount up!" I said telepathically, as the tense situation averted. I wouldn't have to worry about silver arrows for a moment, so I could go back to focusing on my Battle's wholeness.

Florina smiled as she carried the small red orb with her, flying towards me. "Back to battle, girl. I want you to ambush any sword wielders you find. But DO NOT get within the space of an arrow's flight to one of those archers." She nodded quietly.

Lyn tapped the tree I was perched on. We had reached a stalemate. Their two archers were waiting patiently for Kent or Sain to move. But thanks to a slight cloaking spell, they were hidden within the bushes. Only a movement as extravagant of say, three inches would alert them. Florina was trying to locate a safe path into the protective range of the archers, to take out one of the sword wielders. Garnet was trying to decide who to unload his steadily increasing payload of putrid ness. I looked down at Lyn, as I climbed the tree again, and said "Yes, Milady?"

"I found someone you might want to meet." She pointed at an archer. "Names Will, Mister Strategist." I nodded at him. "Good. We need someone of your talents. See that line of trees? The one illuminated in blue?" He nodded, though he looked decidedly freaked out.

"I see em. Who needs a new feather headdress?"

I smiled. "Climb the tree I've illuminated in yellow. When you reach the top, you should be able to spy an archer, illuminated in red. I was you to give him a nice, feathery eye patch."

He nodded, and ran off, smiling. I could feel that this man loved to shoot his bow. He really didn't care what the target was. Lyn smiled. "Lyn, Take the Mani Katti. You know the Pinch point Correct?"

She nodded quietly: I grabbed an apple from the branch I was sitting on. "When you run, I want you to throw your remaining iron sword at the lead bandit. Try to hit him in the chest. Let the two knights pass you. They are to slash him together, and rush towards that building down south. Florina is to fly that direction as well. You are to wait in the blind spot of that wall. Then, you will charge, as they pass. The ARCHER is the first target. None of this happens without Wil's arrow making the first blow. Go!"

They assumed position, as my voice echoed in each of their heads. My eyes became Garnet's and we watched the battle. I saw one of the archers tense his bowstring. "Release the blessing, garnet, right on that one's head."

Wil pulled the string back on his bow and sighted down the arrow quietly… a swift sharp twang and a screech as the archer fell, clawing at the arrow that went through his eye, and cleanly out the back of his head, barely missing his brain and Spinal column. He seemed to seize. I recognized the magicks. 'Mercy.' I thought simply. A spell a strategist worth his salt never hoped to use. It ripped a soul from a dying body with such force; the soul would never feel pain again, even if they dove into the pits of hell.

Garnet snarled as he relaxed. I vaguely watched the blackish gift fall to the earth.

-SPLAT!- The heavenly gift showed just how much Favor the archer had with the gods. It was only then that the charge started. Then the ambushing began.

Savior, another gift, usable only by the most fortuitous, which my heaven seal seemed to be charged with, was readied. I could feel the pulse. He knew the ambush was coming.

I shifted to Kent. "Make sure your strike is fatal. Both of you." I looked across the way at Sain. The quiet nod was shared, and they went out. A swift slice, meant to disembowel his foe, brought the brigand to his knees, curtsey of Kent's blade.

The spell took effect, the guts of the man slowing, before finally going within his stomach again. The cut sealed it's self with a faint red glow. But the first Savior would be that man's last. Sain's blade was through the man's head and out the other side before he could have even realized he had just died once.

I heard the tactician yell. "DAMN YOU! You are no tactician, you are a demon!" of course, the mental yell was enough to shake me up. I shuddered, and sent Kent and Sain on their way, towards what looked to be an Armory. Wil was busy feathering another of his admirers. Lyn saw her prey, the now feces covered archer sulking by.

"KYAH!" She was cut short on her swing by a Pegasus knight, diving in, and crushing the archer beneath her mount. That was when the shit hit the fan.

Suddenly, axes flashed, and I was forced to intervene. My opponent had seen the Pegasus knight telegraph her move. I would have been happy to let her perish. But the axes had been aimed at Lyn. Self preservation and the preservation of purpose were the reasons I did what I did.

"SHIELD!" I yelled physically, and my arms were suddenly cut to ribbons as I held them steady. The magical shielding I had placed over my charge and her ally took the blows force, reduced it, and fed it into my body. And the hands, one of a strategist's most important things, were always the first to go. We sacrificed ourselves for our army. That was how it was, but I would keep this shield up until I had distributed orders, despite the blood flowing from my arms.

"Full on attack. No prisoners. Garnet, stay in the air. Spill no blood in this engagement. Lyn, take down the first you can and flee to the armory. Sain, Kent. Both of you guard Lyn. When she reaches you, charge them. Lyn, accompany the charge, but do not put yourself in unnecessary danger." I nearly screamed at this point as I felt something like an axe bite into my side as more of my power drained into the spell. I had to be quick. "Florina! GET THE HELL OFF OF MY BATTLE FIELD YOU IRRESPONSIBLE WENCH!" My arm nearly snapped as I heard them agree. Florina snorted. I snarled, and dropped the shield, when it was clear.

As woozy as I was, and as drained, I could still see the battle, and hear the other strategist's mocking laughter. "Holding a shield spell that long would have done in one of BERN'S tacticians. Your army will die, and your powers will be mine, bitch. I know you carry a blood bind!"

I smirked. The battle broke like a wave on the shore. Lyn had dashed next to a brigand, and jammed her sacred blade in his stomach. The Mani-Katti almost seemed to sing as its crimson coated tip erupted from his side, looking like it had simply sliced butter. Migal's jaw dropped as he watched from behind the barrier of the recently burned village on the hillside. He looked over at the black cloaked man. "Ner-"

The black-cloak silenced him with a glance. "The talons of what you fear will dig deep, Taliver dog, if you do not keep silent. This battle is life or death for that other commander. And a cornered dog will fight till his dying breath. I've cut off his front paws, but I need your Brigands to cut his back two." He smiled. Father would be most proud.

The gold eye scared Migal. He was here to find women and money, not a war with mercenaries. But the strange one insisted. He gulped.

"That man who spoke to the boss never said anything about getting into this mess! I'm losing men down there!" Migal stood up, about to brandish his axe. And then he found himself siding, with a pain in his groin, and a swell from behind his nose. He felt that strange sensation, like he was being watched. "I said keep silent!" the voice was a hiss as he looked into the black-cloak's ethereal face. "YOU will join your men in the killing fields then!" the amulet about his neck snapped loudly. "And your men have lost my guidance now!"

Kent and Sain jumped their horses into the fray behind a steadily retreating Lyn, who turned as they jumped over her. Their horses panted as the plowed through the first rank of men.

But this was too easy. They had a strategist. There should have been some kind of a move that stonewalled the foolhardy rush. The men weren't even being saved by spells. Nor were they putting up a decent fight anymore. Kent looked at Sain. "This has become to easy…"

Lyn snorted as she looked at the brigand in front of her. A boy, perhaps 17 years of age, held a shaky axe. "You're telling me… they aren't even learned at how to use an axe."

The boy's following view would have made anyone's day, if he had not been shitting himself at the moment she lifted her leg right into his face, sending him barreling back into his brother who held a sword. They both gulped. "Run." Was all Lyn said as she Purposely kicked the boy with the sword between the legs for gawking.

Sain winced, and marched his horse OVER the two boys, horse hoofs stamping down beside their heads. "Be glad she shows you mercy. Go home, and stay off the battle field!"

Kent snarled as he walked over, dropping a rag soaked in blood and gore beside him. The boys waited till the pair had passed, and then got up… And ran like the hounds of hell were behind them.

Bandits would come to know those two boys as the Cowards of Seville. Then again, no one ever met Migal, a renowned axe man ever again…

Lyn stood over the fallen body of Migal. The man had been knocked off of a cliff, as far as she could tell. He had been the leader of this gang of men. His skull was busted clean open; the whole alley between the burnt village and the sheer cliffs was covered in blood from his fall. There was basically nothing left of his skull, but the pink and yellow armor showed who he was well enough.

Wil sighed as he shouted again. "Hallo! Are your allies not coming back?" He looked up in the tree, before blinking his eye strangely as he suddenly gained a black space in his vision. Opening it back up, it was an obscene mix of the real, and a color of blood red. He felt something cold hit his face.

He reached up, and paled. Blood. And it was cold, so it had to have been a long time since it was spilt, but not long enough for the liquid to congeal. He screamed as loud as he could. "LYN! COME QUICKLY!"

Lyn heard the shout, even as she made to grab the small amulet that looked strangely like her own. But she stopped as she looked at Kent, who simply jerked her onto his horse.

Garnet swooped down, seeing the archer covered in some blood speckles. He had not been wounded, or so he though. Garnet sniffed quietly, while Ariana immediately ran to the pack horses, withdrawing medical supplies. Kai had talked her through some of the basics.

Garnet snorted, and nudged Ariana, shaking his head. She tilted it to the side. "It's not him bleeding? Then who is?" she looked at the tree. "Master Kai climbed up… oh gods!" She barely got the last words out as garnet was up the tree, his claws giving him traction as he jumped up it much like a cat.

Ariana and Wil watched, before she bit her lip and walked to the base of the tree, waiting on her Wyvern. Lyn and Kent arrived next, Lyn instantly hopping off the horse. "Thank you Kun." She said to the mare quietly as she stepped beside Wil. "What's going on Wil?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. But there was blood leaking out of a tree. I called you because I couldn't remember which tree Kai had climbed up." He shook his head sadly. "Then I was sniffed by a small Wyvern, and his lady, apparently. She said something about this being the tree Kai was in, and, Zip, zoom, there went the wyvern, right up the tree."

Kent nodded sagely. "A Wyvern is hard to impress, but they will go to damn near any length to protect those they respect or love." He stepped beside Lyn's other side and looked up as they heard growling.

Sain rode up quickly, just as the fight broke out. A Wyvern chased a Pegasus out of a tree, and he saw a woman fall from it, clutching a low branch tightly as her spear fell, right near Lyn. The branch cracked, she screamed, and fell, squarely on her but. He saw Kai fall a bit, then catch on the snag, his blood soaked sleeves pulling up with his cloak, showing off the razor thin cuts, with some that were entirely too deep.

The boy fell to the ground quickly, collapsing in a heap. He groaned softly, even as Sain dismounted. Ariana was at his side, bright eyes dull as she began to wash the blood from his arms. One of the same cuts ran along his side. Sain knelt down beside her and helped, earning him an affectionate smile. "Thanks, mister Demon." She said with a light tone.

Sain looked at her with a smile. A Running joke she seemed to be playing at. She always called him mister demon. "Sure thing, Angel." He said, earning a blush from her. He looked at Florina who was jabbering something about 'Magic in the trees!'

A moment before this.

Florina had nearly shit herself when she was suddenly told to get off the battle field. By a strategist no less. That was a black mark like nothing else. When you were told by an invalid of sorts to get off a battle field, it was being told you weren't even ready to begin to THINK of a Pegasus, which was a serious spit in the face.

Florina had originally meant to go to the strategist and plead for her military career. But he was passed out and bleeding, balanced over a branch. She put her hand to his breast, and shook slightly. "Strategist? Strategist!"

Wil's shout was barely recognized as she franticly scoured her brain. "Oh god, what'll I do?" She briefly registered that she had just willingly touched a man, which paled her cheeks, then turned them red with fury. Still, she didn't hear anything but the gears in her mind until she heard a growl so loud it was… scary? Hot? Humid? Burning her Pegasus's fur?

She turned her head, to find herself looking into a ticket straight to hell. A very pissed off wyvern had what looked to be curls of arid heat leaking out about a snarl. Her Pegasus whinnied loudly, and bucked midair, sending her barreling ass-over-teakettle to the ground. With a snap of the beast's wings, she saw the wyvern take off, flying after her mount, snapping the branch below the strategist's body with its tail as it flew its suicide course.

Present time.

Florina was weeping against the tree. Wil and Kent were on her left and right, Lyn in the middle, crouched down and trying to decipher the girl's strangled voice.

"EywashSobtrytoalkWeepwihestrgestCry!"

"I was trying to talk with the Strategist."

"wnsobeyoterewheezeeasutup!"

"When I got there, he was cut up!"

WAIL!

She nodded. Lyn stood up, and looked at Kent and Wil. "Apparently, the wyvern scared her mount, who bucked her off, sent her tumbling down the tree, broke the limb, and is now trying stay out of a wyvern's stomach."

Wil cocked an eyebrow. "You got all that from a WAIL!" He scratched his head.

She slammed her fist down onto his crown and growled. "No you idiot! I got that from looking at the situation!"

He raised his hand from his position on the ground. "Oh." He said before laying his hand back down and groaning. Damn she could hit.

I groaned quietly. He was so mad at that damn Pegasus and her rider. Trying to hurt someone he respected. I then realized that those weren't my thoughts. It came into focus quickly as I struggled with the mind numbing pain.

'DAMN BEAST OF BURDEN! I WILL TEAR YOU TO PIECES!'

'Garnet, calm down… I'm alive.'

'Beast! Where you learned to speak like me I'll… oh wait, Kai!'

'Yes, it's me Garnet. Calm down and land. I wasn't hurt by them.'

'But… the cuts on your arm?'

'Made by holding a spell in place.'

'Oh.' Garnet thought-said to me. It was so blunt, average, and too the point, I was taken a bit aback as he landed quietly near Ariana.

"Master Kai, you're Awake!" Sain looked at me with relief on his face. Sain continued to wrap my arm in bandages quietly.

Ariana smiled, and kissed me on the cheek, much to Sain's chagrin, I saw as I looked him in the eyes. He just smiled at me and wrapped my arm some more. I sighed. Too much thinking to do when I hurt this badly. My arms would be useless for a while, so nothing but advice from me for the army. I groaned as they tied off the bandages and I sat up.

The Villagers who had Befriended Wil insisted that the savior of their village be treated to a magnificent feast. Huge legs of Mutton, massive amounts of porridge (which was spiced generously, and delicious.) and huge orders of fruit.

Wil was the first to belch from all the raspberry burdock he had just guzzled down. With a load groan he leaned back, spying the woman across from him, who was quite attractive. She grinned, and so did he. "Excuse me…" he said.

I looked at him. "About time you showed some manners." I muttered, and then realized he was getting up. "Leaving so soon?"

"Food, shelter, water, all these are filled, but the elusive fourth…" he said quietly as he walked away, and I sighed. "Great."

Lyn was the next, and while she was sitting beside me, her burp rocked me to my bones. I looked over at her as she patted her belly pudge. "I'm so stuffed I feel like a hog!" She burped again, and sighed out an apology. "Oops. Forgot my manners, but that was some good food!"

Kent smiled. "Shall we retire, milady?" She nodded at him gratefully. I could tell she was into him, and he was falling in love. It was as plain as the day, and making my stomach wrench in utter dejection. Kent bowed, and gave his thanks to the village hetman.

I looked over at Ariana Angel, as we had given her last name, since she had none she knew of. She had changed into a different pair of clothes for the feast. An elegant pure white cloak over a baby blue mage's tunic, with a flowing blue skirt that was only just deeper in color than her shirt. A white beret adorned her head, and her almost violet eyes were setting the whole set off like a Bernian war-charge. Her hair, I noticed, was the strangest thing I had seen. It was as black as the night, but I could see violet streaking it so well, it had to have been natural.

I sighed, noticing Sain. The man liked green, that was sure. Even his leisure clothes were green. He smiled as they got up and left the table, leaving me with the village minus one. I grumbled as I fumbled with the fork again. My hands were shot. I shook my head. I hadn't even finished my first plate, and I was a very accomplished eater.

The hetwoman frowned, and sat beside me, helping me eat. I was truly an invalid as I looked over at Florina who was frowning desperately. I looked at the hetwoman. "You don't have to do this…"

"Nonsense… my son was a Tactician, just like you." I frowned. I wasn't a tactician. "I've seen the scars those blessings leave… it's the bravest path one can walk." I nodded, and took the piece of mutton from the fork.

"Can you tell that woman in the white armor to meet me at the hostel later?"

"Of course, Tactician-sama." I looked at her as she used Ilian. I swallowed the spoonful of porridge. "Ilian?"

"Yes, my husband was from the Daein Canton. We met, and came to the Sacaen ridge to find a peaceful life." She continued to feed me, her husband looking at her with pride and loving. Kai smiled. He married her because she was so tender. They were both past their prime, but he could see the man had been a valiant warrior. The hetman smiled.

"In my youth, I maintained a forced peace with the bandits around here. Perhaps you would stay, now that this village is so… alone. We have no warriors to protect this village… we have no way of staying safe within these walls anymore."

Kai frowned. "Milady is required at the Caelin canton soon, and we can spare no warrior. Wil would be an excellent addition to our forces, but, if he must, he can say here…"

The hetman shook his head. "He should go with you. We have a few strong men in the village, and I know enough of the sword and shield to train them. However, this is rude of me. Please, stay as long as you like, Tactician. Your wounds need time to heal."

Day 3 of our stay in the village. Florina had still refused to come and see me, but I had regained some of the motor skills in my hand. Nightly doses of vulnerary ointment had sped the healing process exponentially. "So, Lyn, how was last night…"

She looked at me. "Kent was wonderful. He took me for a ride in the twilight… I've never seen the sky so beautiful. He treated me like a real gentleman. He even picked me some flowers… funny, how they make a girl feel so… different."

"Well, don't be afraid of them. But don't let him sweet talk you. I don't want my main swordswoman getting fornicated, while we're still months away from our goal."

"You know me better than that, Kai."

"Think about it, we've only known each other for about two weeks now, Lyn. And if my hands weren't so lame, we'd be on our way now."

Ariana stepped into the modest hut I had set up as a barracks of sorts. The girls were strictly confined to the left side, and the men to my right, the reason being my right hand was less lame, and able to stop the men more easily. But luckily, nothing had happened, other than Lyn and Kent riding out last night. They had returned before the moon was too high in the sky.

Ariana smiled. "Talking about the date?"

Lyn nodded. "Yes, we were."

"Ah, too bad Sain's such a lecher. He's groped me four times today. Garnet's been pestering me to tell him off as well." Lyn had been informed, rather untactfully, that garnet was telepathic. I was still nursing a bruised kidney from it. I remember like it was yesterday… in fact, it was only the day before, after the feast.

Garnet giggled to himself, and I picked it up, resting in the hut. I absently shifted over to him, as he was usually better conversation than most. However, once I got there, I saw Lyn rather unmercifully groping herself. And making strange noises. My jaw dropped.

"I shouldn't be watching this!" I said to garnet, but he just laughed. 'So interesting. Your species can go into heat at any time, and don't even require a mate to mate!'

"It's called masturbation, and it's a way to prevent mating. She does this, and she's not left to fend off Sain by herself. It's also a rather enjoyable pastime, if you're enchanted by someone's beauty."

'Bah, I don't care for the details! She just smells so… frisky.' He licked his lips. 'So delectable, so honeyed and sweet!' I just stared at him.

"Surely Ariana has needs."

'Needs that she goes off by herself and completely locks down to fulfill. I've only smelled this once, and that was from another wyvern when I was a child.'

"Then they smell the same?"

'Far and away different. Humans smell like honeyed almonds, and wyverns like burning roses and hickory. A sweet yet flavored scent that just drifts along your mind like a graceful hummingbird to the flower.'

I sighed as I saw her arch, bringing her chest into view. I gulped and crossed my hands in front of my chest, determined not to indulge myself. "Humans are fickle creatures, my dear wyvern. So utterly driven by emotion are we that at times, we do things in the heat of passion."

'Not at all like wyverns, who think as they speak. We are methodical and impassive. I observe merely out of interest and speculation, while you do it in lust and regret. There's no need to be sorry, she is a beautiful woman, and quite eligible. If I was human, I might indulge.'

"You're pretty indulged now if your hips are any sign." I said, looked him in the face and nodding to his hindquarters. "You're being aroused, and you don't like to admit that a HUMAN is doing this to you. Admit it; you'd love to sire a half breed."

'Only to sire one, to discover what the beast would look like.' He stated defensively. 'Knowledge is a tool and a weapon.'

We looked on unabashedly as she nearly screamed and arched again, spreading herself wider and allowing us a view. Thank Elimine her eyes were closed. She bucked a bit as she slowed and continued her ministrations. Apparently, she was having fun walking that razor thin line, trying to find herself in a blade lined fog.

I shook my head, clearing it of mist. "You're a pervert, garnet."

'You try not being one when your lady insists on sleeping nearly in the buff right next to you. I've spent too much time around humans and I know what they feel like, so don't start going all mister "I'm too good to be a pervert" on me now. You're just as hypnotized as me.'

"True, but I'm also being modest about it, and speaking of modest, guess who's behind you?"

He looked back, and snapped his jaw up as Ariana looked at his rather naughty bits with a smirk. "Looks like someone's been a bad dragon."

He looked at me from the corner of his eye, and snarled. 'You'll pay for this.'

"When?" I smirked.

I felt him stretch his presence. 'Nice looking body Lyn, now just look through the crack in the boards right in front of you.'

Garnet and I were plainly visible. She smirked, and stood up, affixing her shirt back, dropping her indulgement away right there. I paled visibly in my ether state. "You're… A cold-hearted bastard, Garnet." She heard me too.

"So it's a peeping dragon and a peeping Kai, is it?" she smirked, and walked towards my shack.

"You do know you've killed me, right garnet?"

'You don't have to deal with a fourteen year old girl who likes her dragon as more than a friend, from the way she's usually thinking of me.'

"She's also had too little human relation for a girl her age. It's no surprise she finds Sain attractive."

I winced as I was forcibly pulled from my ether state by a boot in the chest. "I'm sorry!" I immediately said, scooting back a bit. "I shifted when I heard him giggle!"

"Dragons don't giggle." Lyn said with murderous venom dripping from her fangs.

"Telepathic ones do!" I said as I saw her brandish her claws (That is to say, crack her knuckles and glare at me.)

"Oh, he's telepathic then? Well why did you not stop Sain from speaking?" just then, Sain walked in, whistling a merry tune. "Ah, hello Lyndis. I trust the walk with Kent went well? I just saw him by the woods. He's taking quite a shine to you, you know?"

Sain was entirely too dense to just act like he had seen nothing if he had. "THERE! That's my proof! If Sain had seen you doing that, do you not think he would brag, blush, and be propositioning you right now?"

Lyn looked at me, and kicked me square in the kidney. "I'll go speak with Ariana about a suitable punishment then."

"NOT FOR ME!" I prayed/screamed. "Nope, for the dragon."

Sain scratched his head. "What was all that about?"

I smiled at the girls. "So, I've been meaning to ask you Ariana, what was your punishment for garnet?"

"Oh, just a peepshow to see just how much he was into human females."

My jaw dropped. "You let him watch?"

"Every juicy minute of it. Florina was most gracious in helping me too. Ah, you should have seen him. Stubby little wings tied up to himself… it was a riot… took a lot of rope though."

I blinked. "Tell me you didn't fornicate Florina…"

"Ewww! No! We locked him in a room near the hot springs… I still haven't let him out, and it smells an awful lot like Bernian mustard in there, but, he's not complaining… I feed him twice a day."

I sighed. "Well, for my transgression, I suppose I came out better than he, after all, he was watching the longest."

Lyn looked at me. "How much longer?"

"Apparently from the beginning. I was only there for the part just before your mystery man apparently either finished himself, or stopped himself to bring your body closer."

She kicked me in the shin. "OW!"

"For your information, you've no right inquiring, and it could have been a mystery woman for all you know…"

"There are two reasons I know why that's a lie."

"Tell me then, mister sage."

"One, you're apparently falling in love with Kent. Two, whenever you see Florina you become embarrassed, and distance yourself from her. This is why Florina is so utterly depressed, and quite certainly, suicidal if she still refuses to come see me."

I took the bowl of porridge from Ariana with grace and nodded my thanks. She smiled. Lyn just stared at me.

"I hate you Kai."

She said this with sarcasm dripping like water from her body. The thought made my spoon shudder for a moment before I devoured it. "I love you too, Lyn." I smiled at her.

She growled in frustration, and stalked out. I sat down with Ariana as we ate, and I told her more of the magicks I knew. She was mostly interested in the Flame magicks, not the tomes I spoke of. "The magicks, Kai. I want to learn the magicks."

"But… they cost your body. They simply cannot be used in combat."

"NO!" She growled. "I will learn to perform the magicks that cost my my blood, if only I can be more like garnet."

"There are tomes of fire, lightning, wind, even ice!"

She paled as I said ice. "I… will never read from a tome."

I then remembered. "You… can't read, can you? And you're afraid of ice."

She nodded quietly. "Fine, I'll teach you seven magicks… But I will not teach you any of ice or wind."

She grinned at me. "Thank you!"

"But before that, you WILL learn to read tomes." She dropped her eyes and lowered her head. "The reason is this, a tome usually contains forty or so, different incantations. All incantations gather the same energies, without draining your blood, but they do not work unless scribed in the blood of a white wolf. This supplies the blood required to the magic, and allows it to function."

She nodded. "Then I'll learn to read."

"You will also train in the spear."

"But why?"

"Because you are to be the world's first Dracomancer."

"What?"

"There are magicks in this world far older than humanity. There is one I know of known as quintessence. In its basic state, all life is quintessence. It circulates in your mind, giving you thought. That is why beasts can hunt in packs. But garnet is basically, a mass of quintessence. You will learn to communicate directly with that substance, and in essence, absorb some of it, becoming in effect, part dragon."

She looked at me as if I were insane. "It will be a slow process, taking the better of two years to complete. But, you will be able to master some of the dragon's abilities. This will give you more strength, tougher skin, better eyes, and faster reflexes. But you and garnet will be bound. Without one half of your quintessence, he will be nothing but a slobbering and most likely murderous, dragon. You, without half of his, would be frail and brittle, as breakable as a newborn twig."

"The reason I say this is because he is not just a wyvern, he is truly a DRAGON. At least in part. And I have a feeling we will meet more like him. And by tradition, Dragon riders use lances. By tradition, mages specialize in one type of magic. You will combine the art of dragon riding, with magic, and tame him, while becoming like him. A harmonic being, with two bodies but one purpose."

She looked shocked. "You love garnet, as more than just your savior or your caretaker or even your brother. You love him with all of your heart, and wish he knew just how deeply you cared for him." I smiled.

"You'll show him how deeply you do. Magicks like this have not been done in millennia. You'll have a long time to think about it, before it happens."

She nodded. "Go now; I need some time to think."

End of day Three.

A/N: Well well, I've butchered it suitably. A summer of careful planning all goes to you guys, the reviewers. It's the beginning of the school year, and I apologize for the wait, but I've had to plan out four or five whole chapters. Next chapter in Fire Emblem Redux: Dragon blood (Which I am changing the name too, Effective of this chapter,) will be the first support chapter.

Support chapter: "Smoke in the sky." And I'll give you a hint, Water flows in the forest, but can the forest change its ways before the water flows out of its grasp?

Final Notes: On the POV confusion issues.

It stared when I forgot which POV I was writing the story in during chapter 2, the Mani Katti Chapter. As you know, most of the referrals to Kai are as a 'He' instead of an "I me my" thing. I've decided to make this a story feature. When Kai is asleep, passed out, or just plan feeling weird, it's kind of like an out of body experience. Dragons will be a constant subplot, and you'll find why come Eliwood receiving his mythic sword.

Hope it's been a good summer for you all. And I'm off to write the next chapters!


	5. Support Chapter 1: Smoke in the Sky

Support Chapter: Definition: Something that I made up to make the story take place from different perspectives, or to tell a character's new background. In this case, it's Sain. Please enjoy.

* * *

Fire Emblem Redux: Dragon's Blood

Support Chapter: Smoke in the Sky

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Sain sighed as he lifted the barrel of apples, nodding to Kent. He couldn't keep his mind off of Ariana, or Florina. Both were so beautiful, but Florina was a bit of a heathen. He smirked inwardly. If you wanted to be correct, politically and technically, they both were. One was a woman who had no idea how to breed and propagate her species; the other was raised by a dragon who thought he was a human. Well, half dragon half wyvern, according to Kai.

This didn't matter in the least to Sain. If Kent could chase a marquess' Granddaughter, he could surely chase after that illusive love bug in a heathen woman, couldn't he? He dropped the apples by the Hetwoman, and smiled. He saw a few of the village boys playing with sticks like they were swords. A few of them stood out, looking as though they had natural talent. He inwardly began to muse to himself again, as he found himself doing often when he didn't wear his armor. 'Some of those boys must have a warrior's blood in them… Still, this close to Bern and Sacae, I guess it's inevitable. This far north, it's nothing but frontier. I suppose I should be thankful that we stopped here. Great food and good looking women… but I just can't seem to put my eyes on them. No woman has looked the same sense the luisy bush incident. First they all looked like trophies or objects to be placed on a mantle, but now that I've met these women I journey with, I can't seem to even comprehend the actual act of sex. It's strange.'

Sain didn't really care much for his muse at that point, so he stopped speaking with it. He walked back towards the bath house, and briefly thought of joining garnet, who was still tied up in the storage shed. Resolutely looking at the door, trying to prove his dragonish parts. Sain shook his head in amusement as he entered the changing rooms, which were coed. He always wondered why the rooms were coed, and the baths not. Of course, no one got into their skins until they were in the bath, because of that simple fact, and there were cubby holes supplied for the guests to put away their unders. He sighed, and peeled off the shirt he had been wearing. A simple white sleeveless undershirt, with his normal green underpants. His loincloth was soaked as well. He sighed, and put them into the small wooden trunk he had rented. He grabbed up a towel and walked in. Various village men were relaxing after the long day of harvest, but they moved aside and raised a chorus when either he or Kent walked in.

He took off his loincloth, still embarrassed about himself. The other men were simply jealous. The seventeen year old could have used that as a cane if he was their age. Sain always thought it was just average or small, not as large as it was. He slipped into the water after putting away his loin cloth into the 'please wash' basket that a man would come and get every day. He put his towel in a cubby and slipped into the hot water, sighing heavily. "I can't see how you guys do this all day! Running back and forth over seventeen acres of tree and climbing them? It's enough to make a man mighty tired."

The men smirked. "Well, we don't have to lug around as much luggage as you do!" Sain looked at the man who had said it. The man had scars, and was past his prime, but still looked able to dish out some punishment. "What do you mean?"

Some of them laughed, others just snickered. Another spoke up. "Boy, your pecker is so big a blind man could use it as a cane!" The laughed at Sain's expense who blushed redder than a beet. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Some men are just better endowed. You just happen to be endowed like an ox."

Kent and Wil walked in after that. Kent smirked. "And we in the locker rooms had always ragged him about that." He dropped his loincloth and so did will, each inserting it into the loin cloth basket. Towels went into cubbies, and they sunk into the water. Three well muscled men with relatively few scars and nearly fifteen others with scars, muscles, and past their primes all sighed in unison as the flames in the pipes were stoked. "I'll have to give that dragon another big steak. He keeps it nice and warm in here…" one of the older men said.

Kent smiled "That was his punishment… Watching a woman in her most intimate moments is a dire offense, and Master Kai still catches hell nightly for his part in that little fiasco." Sain and Wil both paled. "Don't remind us, that's just brutal…"

Wil grinned. "What about that Ariana eh? She's a cute little button; I would gladly take Kai's place to see THAT." The men in the bath laughed.

Sain paled. "You would do no such thing!" he had kept the nineteen year old's nightly fraternizing with the village women to himself. But he held it like a concealed piece of steak from the hungry lions that could do nothing but smell blood on Wil's head. And he was close to ripping that piece of cloth off and dropping the steak.

"Ah, and that Florina! A flower amongst the flowers, I would say! A spit fire like no other! As sharp as the taste of well aged cheese, and just a smooth to boot!" Wil sighed like a boy in love.

Sain snorted. "You may be more versed in the arts of wooing, my dear archer, but I'd be willing to bet that no woman who ever rode a flying mount would DARE spend her time with an archer. Too quick to let fly the arrows!"

The men laughed loudly, and Kent smiled. Score one for Caelin. "Don't forget, my friend. Archers tend to aim high and shoot fast. I doubt they'd know much of the arts of an Ilian Tea house!"

The howl shook the house, and Wil blushed. "BAH! If women in a Daein Tavern know how to do that, why wouldn't any woman?"

The man who had commented on Sain from before spoke up. "Don't you know? Daein women are trained from birth! Too busy trying to live through the next week to reach an age where they can flee from that Marquess' hands to consider how decent it is!" The men all nodded sagely. "The man gives lechers a bad name. Hell, if there was a nation of lechers, he'd be the Grand King Puubah!"

Sain nodded. "I've heard even his boy is not safe any more. Found one of those magic women in the woods one day and had his way, and ever sense servants have fled the castle in terror."

Then men all shuddered, including Kent, Sain, and Wil. "Them magic women is a curse, I say! What man in his right mind would let some witch work magics on his body like that?"

Kent spoke up next. "Back in Caelin, I and Sain knew a man who was changed like that. He was always a bit strange, but entirely fascinated with breasts." He nodded quiet as Sain picked it up, "Even more than me, and I'm an accomplished breast examiner!"

Wil gagged silently as they continued. "One day he was sent out on rounds, and he never came back. A week later, we came into town looking for some new Tack for our horses. We saw a Woman who looked just like him, down to the muscles! We called his name, and lo' and behold, he turned to look at us, then ran like hell in the opposite direction."

The men shook their heads. "I've heard that magic don't work on people who don't want to have it done." Another spoke, "A terrible fate." And yet another. "Well, still, he'll make some Dyke a very happy woman!"

This brought the crickets out. They all looked at the offender. "What, I had a woman who liked men and women once… Course, she always found the pure dykes to bring home."

This brought an understanding nod, and the first of the leavers out. The loincloths were clean now. Sain stood up and nodded. "I think I'll be going too. That story always makes my stomach hurt."

Wil and Kent and a few of the other men nodded. "We've all heard the horror stories, and I don't think any of us are going to want that fate. Best to stop talking about it lest we bring down thunder on ourselves."

Sain got his loincloth and dried off. He knew there was a hole in which the women could see into the men's room well enough, and stood before it, drying himself. He vaguely heard gasps. He slipped on his loin and stepped into the changing room. Ariana was getting dressed as well, and she stopped to help Kai with his hands. "Well, go on in Kai. Kent will help you with your Loincloth."

Sain took her in. She was so young and beautiful, and only three years different. Supple curves and quiet angles that lauched your eyes right back into her body. She was picturesque. He quickly averted his eyes as he felt his body react, and dashed for his locker. Lo and behold, it had been switched. Kai glanced at him with a smirk as he walked in and Florina walked out. Never had the three been in the same area in this state of undress. Sain gulped, and saw his green trousers thrown onto of a chest between theirs. "Kai, I swear I will kill you." Was all he said as he stepped up to it. Ariana and Florina both cut eyes at the washboard between them, and he blushed, realizing his penis was once again on the move.

He gulped, and grabbed his shorts. "The Demon has a Demon of his own I see…" Florina said, giving his loin cloth a meaningful look.

Ariana giggled. "Enough for two or three women at once it looks like."

Sain blushed redder than a beat as he jerked up his pants, getting something pushed up in the process. He nearly screamed in embarrassment as he fumbled with it, reddening his own and both girls' cheeks. He straightened up as he put it away and jerked on his shirt. "My apologies ladies. Kai will get his just deserts for this, I grantee." He walked out of the room.

Florina talked without making a sound to Ariana. "Did you see that?" Her eyes were wide open.

"HUGE!" was all Ariana replied, her eyes just as wide.

Florina nodded, and then continued her talk with Ariana. "I'm not like they think I am, you know? My sisters… they told me that was what sisters do…" She was referring to the kiss, apparently. Lyn had avoided her and Ariana had been shy around her. Come to think of it, the girls in the locker rooms at home had also acted strange.

Ariana smirked. "I don't care." She spoke aloud. "It's not my place to judge you. What you do in your spare time is your own thing." She smirked, and looked at Florina again, speaking without words this time. "Besides, my dragon is still bigger!"

Florina paled. Once again, silent as a mouse. "Get out! He was fricking massive! Puts my Pegasus to shame when he sees a good looking mare!"

Ariana laughed. "Look at us; we're sitting here comparing a man to animals and dragons! Honestly, we must be what, twelve?"

Florina laughed as well. Men still scared her witless, but she wasn't into girls like everyone seemed to think. She just used it as a cover; it was a convenient way to avoid men. She looked at Ariana. "We must be, but honestly, he'd split you in two!"

"I don't think he's endowed like that. I think he's just long. Very long. He wasn't even ready to do the tango!"

Florina thought about it. "You know, you're probably right… I don't think any God would be cruel enough to give that lecher nothing to work with… too big, and he'll never find a clean woman to father kids, too small, and he wouldn't be any fun, apparently."

They remembered the women talking. It was Friday night, and the women were all raring to go for Saturday morning stew. They hardly ever saw a claimed couple there. The men were tired from a week of work, and the women were getting lonely. "Gods, but the men in the village aren't endowed at all!" one of the sluttier young women said. "But that Archer! Ohh is he a man!"

"But he doesn't know what he's doing half the time!"

"I don't care; he makes the men in the village seem like little pissants!"

The girls laughed. But Florina and Ariana looked at each other in shock. The women had all seen Sain's endowment. Suddenly, they felt obliged to stake their claim. Florina was out the door so fast Ariana barely had time to tie her trousers up.

Sain sighed as he stood in the dark and empty square. He heard a pattering of feet, and felt something small bump into him. He turned and grabbed quickly, snatching Florina up. She had nearly fallen back, but quick reflexes on his part had saved her. 'She must not have her night eyes right now I suppose…' he thought.

Florina smiled graciously. "Thanks…" she said quietly. "Suppose you wanted to come to breakfast with me tomorrow…"

Ariana got there just in time to see the scene, her being the damsel in distress, him the noble knight. She felt tears well up unbidden as Florina kissed his cheek. Ariana walked away then, crying slightly to herself as she headed back towards the makeshift barracks.

Sain shook his head no. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I have a lot on my mind." Florina pressed her body to his. Sain was painfully aware of the ache in his thighs, and the two thin layers of cloth between their bodies. She looked at him with pleading eyes. Sain was for the first time, nearly petrified. "I'm sorry! I can't do this!"

He let her go and walked away; leaving Florina flustered, and ready to pounce. She wanted that man, and she wasn't about to let him get away! But she could wait until he was feeling a bit friskier. She could definitely wait.

Sain sighed as he walked to the back of the shed, and let the dragon out. "Come on, let's get you untied. I think you've had enough punishment for one life time…" he said as he untied the dragon, and nodded. Garnet looked at him with respect in his eyes. He felt the dragon's voice echo much like Kai's. 'I think you're a very good man to deny the women like that. Though your hands could get a little bit steadier.'

Sain smiled. "Well, once in a lifetime was enough for me. My hips still ache from that on occasion…" The Dragon looked at him with a smirk. 'So you WERE raped.'

"Not that I think of it like that, but yes."

Sain was a pervert, yes, but he was also scared shitless when it came to actually performing the act with a woman. That Wyvern rider had scared him so badly… nothing but pure animal lust in her eyes, and a sword in her hand, and he had been her slave for nearly three days. The first several hours were pleasurable. The next days were horrible. That still didn't mean he didn't like the feel of a woman's ass in his hand or his hand on their breast. It just meant he was afraid of hip to hip contact.

Kent sighed and walked beside him. "Still paranoid about Tea houses I see…"

Sain looked at Kent. "You're the one who saved me from that witch."

Garnet's eyebrow rose. Kent sighed. "I don't like to remember that…"

Sain nodded. "I know, but I'm eternally grateful… Sorry I had to do that to you though…"

Garnet huffed. 'What's going on here?'

Sain looked over at Garnet. "You know the story about the Luisy bush incident right?"

The Dragon nodded. "Well, there's a second part we agreed to never speak of."

Kent sighed. "Might as well let the dragon know now, Sain."

"Fine. Here's how it happened…" and he began to regale the two with the story, unaware of the ears of a certain sky-blue haired girl around the corner, and a flame red haired one on the other side of her pet dragon.

It was a stormy night in the Bern Mountains. General Wallace had Order Sain and Kent to gather wood and find food. Kent had returned on time. Wallace was beginning to worry about the journeyman lancer in his ranks, Sain. He growled. "PRIVATE KENT!" The Short little red haired teenager rushed up to the brick wall that was Knight Wallace. "YES SIR!" The Chain mail clad squire stood tall and ready to serve, despite his short stature. "Find my page. His name is Sain." Kent nodded, and dashed off, following the little trail that Sain had left behind… how the Green clothed boy could leave a trail in a storm still remained to be discovered.

Sain nearly screamed from the agony of it all. About four hours ago this woman had literally JUMPED him; knocking his spear away with such force it sprained his wrist. She had dragged him, kicking and screaming back to her place. And then she had thrown him on the bed, and thrust her own spear into the door. There were no windows. There was no way out, and his wrist hurt. The first thing she did was hammer his solar plexus, knocking the air out of him. And then she cut his clothes with a slash of her sword.

For the first three hours, he had been very interested… then it started to go down hill. He was beginning to falter, and she was STILL not done. When he first slackened his pace, she slapped him. He returned to what she liked. Again he slowed only minutes later, and then she punched him square in the jaw. He broke into tears. She pulled him about like a doll and threw him down, giving herself room to work him back into an unwilling position of weakness.

Those were horrible hours of pain and torment.

The rain hammered Kent with such force he was having trouble standing. But some flame seemed to burn within his stomach. He was screaming in utter fury at the storm. "I WILL NOT FAIL SIR WALLACE!" And he trudged on, until he saw his allies spear. Fear gripped his heart. He began to look around. Shortly away, he saw clear signs of a struggle, and then he saw the boy's knife tossed onto the ground, with a bit of blood staining it. Not enough to say it had cut someone, only enough to say blood had splashed here. He saw the trail of broken twigs, and he followed it. He was suddenly afraid.

Day two. By this time, she had given her toy a few crumbs of food. However, he was forced to eat it in between the flashes of pain she continued to give him, and only to please herself. He didn't know what this was. Not even his HAZING had been this scary. And Hazing had been scary! Very scary, suffice to say it involved brands, needles, ink, and some unremoveable marks. This was going to leave marks too, but ones which could not be seen.

Kent was glad of the rain's slackening. Tracking the abductor of his friend had been hard. She or He or whatever it was left little trail, but apparently, Sain was still thrashing. Then he reached a large field. "SHIT!" he yelled. He was going to have a hard time finding the way they went.

Two hours later, he was hungry, but he had found the broken twigs lining the path the kidnapper had taken. Then he found the river. He nearly cried. But he would not fail, he knew resolutely. He began to search for the path they had taken.

Day three's dawn. Kent saw the cottage, and heard the throws of what had to be a woman's pleasure. He almost took another step, but something bothered him. There! A twig, just slightly misplaced… Something odd was going on. He stalked towards the cabin. He could vaguely hear sounds of pain.

Sain cried again. She had nearly broken his arm with that last squeeze. He finally spoke up. "MERCY! Woman, are you daft, you're hurting me! I understand you want me, but woman really! OW! AHHHHH!"

Kent nodded. That sounded like the green haired boy. He kicked the door in and drew his sword, preparing for a kamikaze charge to save his friend. He stopped after the first step.

Sain sobbed. "FOR THE LOVE OF ELMINE WOMAN! PLEASE STOP!" He looked over at Kent. "OH THANK GOD! You there, relieve me!" The red panted boy just dropped his jaw. "Are you Sain?"

"Bloody Hells Yes I am, Private Kent! Now get over here and Relieve me! She's neigh broken my hips! AIE! WOMAN FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODDESS THAT DOESN"T TWIST LIKE THAT!"

Kent watched as she twisted his allies arm into a rather painful position (And moved her naked body in the obvious throws of pleasure. For some reason he couldn't misplace the fact that she was screwing his brother in arms. And he was neither enjoying it nor despising it.) "Hold on, I'll distract her." He looked around, and picked up an armor layered boot. He flung it as hard as he could, and slammed her in the side of the head with it. She just looked at Kent with blank eyes, but she stopped moving.

Sain sighed in relief as she got up… then he howled in utter pain. His manhood now had air touching it. The rawness of his entire groin was merely irritated by the dry air. He tried to curl up, but any movement simply sent agony through him. He whimpered.

Kent faced off with the nearly zombified woman. He stepped in, and slashed, a fine ribbon being drawn across her eye. He punched her in the solar plexus following that, and for some reason, took note of her blond hair. He grabbed Sain, and ran out the door as fast as he could, sacrificing his own knife to keep her within the shed.

"Ahhh! Watch the hindquarters there chum! They're a little tender!"

Kent nodded "Right! Sorry! I'll float you down this river… may help…."

"My… how long has it been?"

"Three days."

"You're kidding! I just went over 200 rounds with a beautiful woman over three days?"

"You've got to be joking; you talked her into doing that? It looked, and seemed, like she just kind of… took you and did you."

"Well erm… You see…"

"So she DID take advantage of you!"

"Not so! She exhibited all the attributes of having eaten a flower of the Luisy bush!"

"So, it was a 'Mercy killing' of sorts?"

"If you want t term it like that, yes."

"Have any idea who it was?"

"From the way she carried her self, it was clear she was used to riding a mount, though most likely a flying one. Also, from the way she spoke, she was clearly Bernian."

"A Wyvern rider? You just slept with a Legendary ice queen?" he pushed Sain into the cold river, and walked beside the invalid victim.

"Yes, I believe so…"

The journey was uneventful until they reached base came. Kent had just ignored Sain's rather obvious injury. Sir Wallace was aghast. "I had heard of the Wyvern riders going to shacks in the middle of no where for times of extreme duress… but Elimine boy! That's what she did to you?"

The whole camp was suddenly in an uproar, and headed back to Caelin. That was the last border patrol they had gone on for quite some time.

"So that's what happened between me and Kent all those years back, and it's how we became friends."

"He's not grown much, either, in ANY attribute. Attitude, height, anything, the boy is about as sizable and as mature as he will ever be." Kent ruffled Sain's hair.

Ariana walked out from behind the bushes, intending to pretend she was going to give garnet more talking to. But she instead walked right to Sain. "Thanks for letting Garnet out… if I had done it, he might start giving me those puppy dog eyes again. Thanks for everything, Mister Demon."

For some Reason, Sain felt… Proud. "You're welcome, Angle."

She nodded, and grabbed garnet's scruff, tugging him along. He almost seemed scared.

Florina was burning underneath her clothes. She was liable to explode into flames she was so hot, and angry. That little BITCH! She dared to hit on HER man? She would pay, OHHHH She would pay.

I snickered. "So that's what happened, eh?" I grinned, and walked back towards the Barracks. "Well there's some meat on those two… maybe I can use it…" Of course, I had the bad luck to step on Lyn's foot. She happened to be leaning up against the tree. Naked. DAMNIT!

WOOSH! WHAP! THUD! SMACK! "OW!"

Kent and Sain looked over towards the woods. "What was that?"

Wil dashed out of the woods, apparently cleaning himself up. "You don't want to know."

Lyn screamed in anger. "PERVERT!"

"I SWEAR! I wasn't watching Lyn! I promise! I wouldn't do something like that!"

She snarled at me, and I screamed like a little sissy. I then proceeded to have my ass kicked like never before. This was going to be a LONG night.

* * *

Nothing like seeing a man beaten within an inch of his life. Still, Lyn IS female, and so far, she's had two of her more private moments interrupted. And yes, I know people are gonna be like "Omfg! This is SOOO nc-17, you little pervert!" and then some are gonna be "Omfg, I can't get the image of Sain's Wang out of my head! AHHH!" and still others will be "Using the same joke twice? Unoriginal." But you know what?

I don't care! HAHAHA! Lyn shall continue masturbating and something bad will befall her every time! BWAHAHAHA! smacked

Lyn: he's lying of course… if I don't get some me time, and soon, I swear to god, Arimadios, I will kick the living SHIT OUT OF YOU!

… Uh right… She'll have much lemony goodness next time I decide to write an SC. Basically, Support chapters are going to be rated M+ for a lot of reasons. Carry on soldier! (P.S. I'm too lazy to play the game right now. The sooner someone tells me chapter 4's bosses name, the sooner I can get them to pwning faces, eh? I'll play it… eventually. I just don't wanna!)

God ye good eve.


	6. Chapter 4: In Occupation's Shadow 2

Fire Emblem Redux: Dragon's Blood

Chapter 4: In Occupations' Shadow: Part 2

A/N I just now looked at the title of the chapter 4 mission. It's listed as "In Occupation's Shadow." As well… Very VERY strange. Anyway, here we go.

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Lyn and Kent were the last to leave. "They bid us a fond Farewell, but, they warn us against staying at the nearby fort tonight. They say a Banshee has haunted it. She wails at night crying one strange sounding name." She shrugged. "As long as it isn't calling Sain or Kent, I think we're safe."

Sain and Kent both glared at Wil. He had gotten off scott free the other night, while Kai was nearly dead in his saddle. I merely just groaned my approval. "Lesh gosh..." She had nearly broken my jaw. She had in fact, sprained it. I never knew it was possible.

Every step my horse took was an hour of pain condensed into one second. I kept the groaning to a minimum. "Ow…" I managed to say clearly.

"I suppose that will keep you from peeping on me again…"

I sighed, and stop screaming in my head, and reached across the group. 'Ariana, take my mount. Garnet, please carry me.'

'Oh no, Kai, I've learned my lesson, I'm not to associate with perverts!' I fixed the dragon with a glare that said 'Do it or I will burn you to ashes with one of my Blessings.'… He did it.

I laid down on the back of the Young Dragon and moaned as I was carried inches off the ground with his delicate flying. 'Much better…'

Kent was the first to notice. "Commander, Your voice is… Well, it's VERY weak." Sain nodded as well. "I've been wounded in much the same way before; it does tend to scramble your thoughts."

I sighed, and strengthen my voice, sitting up rather painfully. 'You see, my Blessings are directly linked to my body, and therefore yours, through your Service to Lyn. The power comes from Heaven, to me, through Lyn, to you. Thus why I take extra care of Lyn in battle.'

Lyn snorted "Yeah right, you just like to gawk at my naked flesh." She smirked. I stopped the dragon, and got up, walking straight towards her. Kent and Sain were Aghast, and Ariana was hopping off the horse to run to me. Wil was just dumbfounded. Florina, of course, snickered.

I punched Lyndis Caelin straight in the face and off her horse. "STUPID GIRL!" I yelled, even with my sore jaw. My voice came out of my mind again. 'How can you be so Elimine Damned IGNORANT! Stop acting like you're some brutal Savage raised by the Taliver Den Mothers! You are a Lady of a Canton Court! You are soon to be the Sole Living heir of that court, if you do not straight up and listen to me. Lyndis, I would not lie to you.' There was pain in my eyes, I could tell.

'Your uncle is poisoning your grandfather. You know this as well as I do. Anyone can see that his Death is not natural. Lord Hausen will not want a Foolish Sacaen Nomad ruling over his Canton when he died.' I snarled. 'Seeing you like this… he would drink the poison straight, if for only to get YOU out of the will.'

'You are a damned fool. Listen to me. Do not think I am some perverted teenager; do not think I am some wizened sage. But I AM the Strategist of this army. You are the Commander and MY charge. If I so chose, I could send them all into the depths of hell my using the Blessing of Mercy. But I could not do that to you, because you are what gives me the power I have. My relationship with you determines how much damage I take using my blessings. If I love you too much, my hand will fall off by using Savior. Not enough and it will as well. The best thing for us to be is the best of friends, like brother and sister.' I coughed a bit, spitting the pinkish liquid out of my mouth. Garnet came to me as did Ariana, and laid me back onto our dragon. 'Garnet, take me to the Fortress.' I looked at the group. 'I expect you all there soon. Within the day. Give Lyn a Vulnerary, and take your lunch now. I'm leaving now.'

The flight was long, but it was not painful Garnet spoke up first… 'Could you… even kill me, as we are right now?' I shook my head.

'No, garnet, I couldn't. Only if you were near Death, or if you betrayed Lyn. But if you were going to betray her at all, I would know beforehand…'

'How?'

'I can see through the eyes of my men and women. They will have some sort of… Feeling to them, is all I can say. Their eyes will be a bit blurry, and hard to read the world from. When I project, I have to tie a lifeline of sorts onto those I am projecting too. They become my five senses but retain their free will. In a sense, I haunt them.'

He nodded as he began to circle the fortress. 'I see… so, the more distracted they are…' I nodded. 'The less useful they are to me. We are not bandits who charge head long into battle. We are a group of warriors with a common goal. It's hard to bring a group like this together, and sometimes, I must be very sneaky in the background to bring the group together. The closer knit a little group is… the better it is for the army. Instead of being a full force of warriors, we are rebels in the face of the world. We must use the land for ourselves.'

The dragon stayed silent as we landed, and he carried me within the Fort. He walked towards the back room. We heard the soft breathing of inhabitants. He peeked around the corner, and then walked forward a bit. A single woman was sleeping on the tiles in the middle of the room. Garnet snuffed in distaste. 'It smells like sickness in here…'

I nodded. 'Because she is sick. This must be the Banshee of the Fort. She's sick, and screams when she is in pain. The walls distort it, and make it sound like a Banshee's wail.' I rolled off of Garnet as he laid down to let me.

"Well well… It seems this dragon is preparing himself a feast." I heard the voice in the room, and looked around. Garnet tensed. I felt around but drew a blank. I saw the mercenary walk out of the shadows. He wasn't exactly that tall, but he had muscles. A good deal more than Kent, or Sain. He carried himself with a fine grace, which seemed to speak of confidence, deserved or not. "Imagine my surprise when I see this young lady sleeping in this broken down fort. And then I see something that flies like a Pegasus with no rider sweeping in, carrying a clearly injured man." He sighed.

"Looks like it's time to slay a baby dragon before it grows up!" he drew his sword quickly. I held my hand up and placed it on Garnet. He Relaxed at my touch, and sat back, his tail wagging somewhat like a puppies. 'Just defend against him, Garnet. Don't attack, he thinks you're something that your not.'

The young man leapt into the air. His iron sword was nothing to be scared of for Garnet, who just snapped his teeth around it and yanked it free, tossing it aside. He glared at the mercenary. "Young man…" I said quietly.

He looked at me, not a bit of awe on his face. "You can't have been who was talking to the dragon… He wasn't wounded." He frantically looked around.

"Calm down…" I said, and then looked at him while I got a fix on his location with my projection. I let my spirit do the talking for me. 'Look, this dragon is the steed of one of my Women-at-arms. If anything happened to this wyvern, I'd be in some deep shit. He carried me here at my behest. My name is Kai, Strategist of Lyndis' Legion.'

He nodded dumbly as he could vaguely see my ethereal shape beside the dragon. 'Get your sword and sit guard with this dragon. If you see a group of people approaching, ask the dragon if he feels snow coming.' I explained it to garnet at the same time. 'If he does, he'll nod. If it's not, he'll come back inside and get me. You're to carry the woman to safety. Follow the road towards Bern, and you'll find my group. Ask for Kent. Tell him that Kai has sent you.'

I supposed I cut a powerful figure, because with that, Garnet went outside the door, along with the Mercenary. I passed out.

I awoke to the smell of roasting antellius. I stood up slowly and staggered out the door. The woman had gotten up before me. I Looked out, and saw Sain and the Mercenary from earlier sizing each other up. Ariana and Florina were gawking at them. Mostly at Sain. He and the other were in nothing but Tank tops and trousers. Kent and Lyn were sitting beside each other on a log, talking like old friends. Wil was taking care of the sick woman. Garnet nudged my arm from just outside the main door. I smiled, and patted his nose.

The dark-blue clothed man was down in nothing but his trousers and his shirt, the same as Sain. They were having an arm-wrestling match on mid air, eyes cold as steel. For some reason, I couldn't shake the image of two teenage boys wrestling over whom got to take which girl to the Ball… The image seemed to fit. His hair was… rather spikey. I anted to say something but a voice deep inside began pleading with me. I decided zipping it was the best action. The day's events were coming to a close. I coughed a little, the activities stopped.

"Morning…" I muttered. Kent was the first to address me. "Ah, Lord Kai, Allow me to introduce Hiiro Zabukai. He's a mercenary from a nearby village. Seems he was told NOT to go looking for this ladies wife and he still did."

"Probably lost my post because of it. Damned old coot, if he could see what a fighter I really am, he'd understand that I'm not just some simple peasant with a sword!"

Garnet snickered quietly. I vaguely heard the mental word 'spikey…' float through the air. Hiiro immediately looked at me. "Got a problem with my hair?" I pointed at Garnet, and muttered something, though not even I'm sure what it was.

He snorted. "So, I'm supposed to believe the DRAGON is telepathic?" he snickered as he said dragon. He saw garnet start up the camp-fire, apparently. "Look at the big bad commander blaming the helpless dragon pup for his own mouth." He snorted. "Disgusting, old man. You don't even have the balls to fess up for what you said!"

I snarled. Lyn looked at me with worry. I stopped quickly, and sighed behind my teeth. If Lyn was worried about me, she must have snapped out of her rage. My ribs felt a little better, but the pain in my jaw hadn't gone away. Legs still hurt too. Ariana was the first to speak up. "Hiiro, leave him alone. Can't you see he's hurt?"

"No way, I want him to grow a pair. He doesn't have a single bandage on him except for his hands, and he acts like he's been through a damn war all alone!" he snorted, not noticing Lyn look away and close her eyes. "He thinks he can get away with whatever he wants to, whenever he wants. Probably some spoiled Etrurian noble's illegitimate brat! You can't get away with shit like that here!"

Kent and Sain stepped towards him in unison as he ripped the bandage from my hand. He stumbled back. I held up the bared hand in a move to stop them. "Kid… Look me in the face. You see this hand? This is what happens when you help someone in your traveling group stay alive. Do you know how magic works? It requires blood. A prayer requires sacrifice. I combine the two, by praying to Elimine to grant me the spell I need in my time of duress, sacrificing my own flesh and blood so that my fellows may live."

I smirked. Then dropped it, as it hurt like hell. My hand looked somewhat akin to have been put through a meat grinder. But the bones were still in Tact. "The hands are the most important thing for a Warrior. Therefore, if I ask for a blessing onto a warrior, my hands will be wounded. Onto a mage, and it will be my legs. Onto Lyn, and it will very likely be both my hands and my heart."

I sat down on the log. "Return when you at least have the decency to not insult a man who is wounded." And with that, Kent and Sain grabbed him up by the arms, while Florina carried his armor. They flung him out of the light of the campfire roughly. She tossed his armor and his sword to him. "Don't ever insult my commander, brat." She said very firmly, and turned promptly to the fire, walking like she wanted to prove a point.

I sighed. "So what did I miss?"

Sain spoke first. "He seemed very nice. He was standing guard with Garnet, though he was absently talking to him."

Garnet snuck closer to the fire, placing his head in Ariana's lap and curling around her so she could lean back. He spoke up next. 'He didn't realize that I was replying to him. He kept thinking, 'That's probably what the dragon would say.' After I spoke to him, almost like he was listening but not comprehending what was happening.' The half-dragon moved his wings in a vaguely shrug-like gesture.

I nodded. "So, Lyn, have you thought about what I said?"

She nodded solemnly. She stood up. "I need to talk to you alone."

I nodded, and stood slowly, looking at the strange woman. "Before I go talk with my Lady, what would your name be?"

"Natalie…"

I nodded, and walked towards Lyn who stood on the edge of the firelight. She stood there looking like she had before we started this journey, unsure and afraid. "I'm… sorry, Kai."

I shook my head. "There's no need to be sorry. You've seen some things that… not many people see. You've done things most Paladins fear to even think of." I sighed. "You shouldn't be afraid. Or unsure. You're doing the right thing, but you have to understand…"

"You're not invulnerable… You're flesh and blood and bone, just like me. You're … Human. You're not some guardian angel."

I hesitated slightly. "Heh… if I was, I would never leave you alone. Be glad that I'm not. Because then I would have nothing to sacrifice for these blessings." I shook my head. "As strong as I am, I need to draw on your strength as well. For all intents and purposes, you're my… Well, for lack of a better word, you're my soul-mate. But, I'm forbidden to touch you. I'm forbidden to feel anything but love for you, but I can't love you. You have to understand, For all intents and purposes, I'm your brother."

"I… don't understand…" she looked at me like I was crazy.

"My power comes from three places. Elimine, blessed as she is, my own blood as a sacrifice, and you as the cipher. Elimine gives me permission to use one of her blessings at the price of my own blood, but ONLY if it used on you, or someone else who carries my amulet." I lightly ran a finger around my Heaven Seal. It was pulsing again. Something would happen soon. "Basically, carrying that amulet makes you a gateway into this world for Divine power. My blood may be within it, but, it is Elimine's power. Everything I have, I owe to her."

Suddenly, Lyn reached for her sword and I felt a sharp pain in my arm. I heard my heaven seal pulse, and felt the hot glow on my leg. As I began to fade out, I felt the blood of the man splash upon me, and I heard Lyn yell "TO ARMS! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" in the distance I heard a voice scream "GANELEON!"

Hiiro heard the scream. He didn't know why, but he turned around, and threw his sword over his shoulder, running for all he was worth in the pale morning light. "Don't worry, I'm coming…" he said to no one but himself.

The camp scrambled. The fire was kicked out by garnet as he tugged Ariana onto his back, grabbing up the parcel of armor that was Florina's. Her sharp whistle brought her Pegasus out of the nearby field and they dashed inside. Kent grabbed up his sword, and whistled, his mare, Kunoichi, came running up beside him. Sain's Stallion was of course, hot in pursuit. Wil stepped into the fort, and readied his arrows while dragging Natalie into the safety of the stone ruins. Kent was on his horses back before Lyn could even get a good start on the bandits. He rode Kunoichi hard, stopping the mare quickly to grab Lyn up and pull her on the back. She grabbed for Kai as the bandit began to bring his axe down for the felling blow…

Black… nothing but pitch black surrounded me… but I could somehow see. A Blue figure was dragging me away, her blade coming up to met an axe and it was shattered as her blade sliced through and into the brigand's face, killing him quickly. I was being pulled again. Something red, a blur, rode up. I could see four legs, but nothing else. He grabbed up my savior and I wanted to scream no as I felt the blackness closing in. But out of the darkness came a green blur. "FOR CAELIN!" I heard as brightly as if it were in my ear. I could see Sain's face as he drove his lance through the man, lifting him off the ground and causing his axe to cleave into his leg from the sheer force of the blow. The spear was firmly lodged where the black shadow's heart should be.

Quickly, the blade of the spear lunged upward as the man was pulled underneath the warhorses feet. He quickly grabbed me up as I reached for the man on the horse, though his name escaped me. I could only think of one name for this savior. Demon. I felt the darkness surround me once again.

Lyn was shouting orders as they garrisoned the fort quickly, Sain putting Kai down on the ground beside Natalie, who immediately began to patch his wounds. "I'll defend our flank. Wil, Patrol the area, Florina as well. The leftmost edge of the fort looked weak. They might try to bust it down. Sain, Kent, Maintain the front entrance, the back is sturdy. They won't be able to get in, so those two will be safe." She nodded slowly. "I'll take the right flank." She dashed off towards the right side of the fort. Natalie stopped her though. "If… If you see my husband, his name is Dorcas. He wears a dirty brown tunic. He carries an axe his father gave him, and he's very accurate with it when he throws. Don't fight him, tell him Natalie is inside."

Lyn nodded her acceptance, and dashed off towards the right side, standing at the edge of the door. The morning light allowed her to see out. Innumerable men stood outside, smirking at her.

Sain looked out and dodged another arrow as he slipped his last gauntlet on. "There…. Whoa!" he ducked down as an arrow struck sparks on the stone beside his head. "Too many to count… Elimine, I'd give my left nut to be back in that cabin right now…"

Kent smirked. "Even with the rawness?"

Sain frowned. "You have a good point there." He pulled his sword as he took a brief look again, and held it in his left hand. "Looks like quite a few axe men, and not a few archers." They heard the sound of crumbling stone and Ariana frowned. "They're busting down the western wall!" Garnet snarled and went back to the doorway to the middle of the fort. Ariana followed slowly and took out her spear, but garnet pulled it away. He nudged the book closer to her. Kai had been teaching her the words on its pages written in the dark red ink.

"But I can't read Garnet!" He fixed her with a stare, and she nodded. "Well, if you think I can, then I can!" The defense was ready.

Wil and Florina stood ready as the last blow crumbled the wall. He sighted down the arrow… he inhaled completely. He waited… The man dashed in wielding his axe with a berserker's cry. The shaft of the arrows flew from the bow, and passed cleanly through the man's trachea. He gurgled slowly before he fell back, the arrow sticking out the back of his neck, directly through the bone. Florina was next, the high ceilings of the place allowing her Pegasus room to swoop. Her lance was slim, but it was light, and as she dove on her flying mount, the swordsman who turned the corner had no chance. The lance punctured his lung on her first clean pass, and ripped out from between the lungs. He fell to ground in agony. Her mount rose into the air and spun, before rushing back at the man. Her lance ripped into the back of his skull, and with a sickening rip, it came clear of his body, aided by an arrow just moments before piercing his throat.

Sain rode his mount out in front of the door, angling his spear to take the unarmed man in the chest. It did so, but did not rip, or break. He dragged the man with him towards Kent. As they passed each other, Sain ripped free the spread by stopping his mount, flinging the nearly dead man forward, slinging him free of the spear. His sword was in his left hand, and it ripped into the next man's arm and cut through like butter.

Kent was doing much the same, but not stopping with one. He was riding out into the fray, his mare dancing around, kicking and whinnying as his blade flashed around him in a circle. Flowing blood circled the red armored man as if he were walking in a sea of the dying, his horse started to retreat as he felled the fourth in a row. She ran inside and he looked at the arrow sticking from her hind-quarters. He snarled. "They got Kuno."

Sain slapped another with the flat of his spear and jammed his sword through the man as his axe reeled back. "A few have glanced me and my stallion as well!" he snarled as another tried to flank him, his horse bucking at the sight. When the horse came down, Sain's spear was through the man from shoulder to stomach.

Lyn was having equal difficulty. But there were fewer charging in. And then she saw him, hefting his axe. The cloth tied about the base and his wrist unwound a bit as he reared back, and threw the weapon. The sound of cloth whistling in air cut in twine was a fearsome one. Lyn ducked down as the axe man swung horizontally. Her luck was to have the axe-thrower's weapon cut the man's arm off, sending the still moving axe and severed arm around the corner, cleaving into another's shin. She grinned as the both howled and her blade came up in an arc, cleaving both the man's leg and the cloth from the thrown axe, in two.

She grinned lightly as he hefted the much heavier axe in his other hand. "I'm sorry I have to do this… but I need the money." He hefted the axe high, and brought it down in a crescent with one hand. She merely stepped aside, and slapped his with the flat of the Mani-Katti.

"You must be Dorcas." She said as he tried to bulldozer her. She once again sidestepped. "Maybe." He ripped the axe out with a spin of his arm and slashed sideways. She back flipped away from it.

"So I suppose you don't care…" she said as she stepped forward, her sword biting into the wood of his axe's handle and her knee coming to meet his stomach, eliciting a grunt. "That we're protecting Natalie…."

He stopped completely. "Natalie's here?" Lyndis nodded quietly. He smirked and pulled his axes free, smiling. "Looks like daddy's got a new job." He turned around, and walked towards the door leading out. A swordsman stepped in and raised his eyebrow. "I knew you were Soft, Dorcas, but really, the bitch just tried t-" He was silenced in a shower of blood as an axe flew clean through his neck without him having time to see the throw. The cloth on the axe was pulled and it came spinning back into his hand. He smirked. "Yeah, but you knew my wife was here." He walked out of the door.

The small geyser of blood died down as the headless body fell to its knees. Lyn felt a little sick as she saw the head of the man blink with the realization that he was dead.

Hiiro charged towards the main gate of the fortress, cutting one of the brigands in his way in two. He leapt towards the main gate, and came down harshly, his sword biting into the back of another mercenary who didn't have the privilege of decent chain-mail. His back split open like a butterfly shrimp as Hiiro rolled into the main of the room and panted. "Sorry I'm late!"

Sain and Kent looked to each other. "Apology accepted. Now let's turn the tides in this." The three stepped out in front of the door. Kent and Sain had dismounted out of fear for their mounts, because of their wounds. Sain smirked as an arrow spat rock shards at his face as it collided with the stone. A ribbon of blood oozed down his face. Kent merely smiled as he shook some of blood from his sword. Hiiro looked between them and smiled, hefting his own broader iron sword onto his shoulder. "Thirty to one odds guys…"

Sain looked at him and smirked. "You're right." He placed his spear over his back and drew his backup dagger. "My spear WAS kind of unfair."

Hiiro grinned. "To the butcher's work then."

Wil loosed another arrow. "Florina, go get me some more arrows! I'm running low here, and you're faster!" She nodded quickly as he feathered yet another intruder. There was a veritable sea of blood running around the rubble of the wall. He stayed on his knee, and smirked, feeling the blood soak into his pants. It didn't make him feel like a cold murderer, but it did make him remember his roots, hunting for southern Elk in the Daein forests.

Ariana stepped out of the door way as Florina whipped past. She ran to the main door and looked out. The Fort was becoming quieter and quieter. She saw a green blur amongst the sea of red mist. Kent's one sword was dicing any who dared stray within it's boundaries as he practiced an Ilian art known as "Kata of the Falling Leaf." More or less, it was a dance of death. The one sword would cleave ribbons of blood into anything that strayed to near its path. Hiiro was back she saw, his broadsword swung in great paths that left men fleeing from its massive range. If one would try to run, he would leap into the air and come down with his blade from a summersault, and cleave the man neatly in two, splattering blood across the field. The young man had been trained formally. But what really caught her eye was her demon.

Sain was moving quickly, taking powerful slashes and defending with a dagger. His lance was thrown across his back, and he was smirking from behind the blood that covered his face. A brigand would make a short leap to cut through Sain, but the green armored demon would have none of it. His dagger came up into the axe with such force, from his BLINDSIDE, that the axe would be shoved back. And in a quick spin, Sain cut into his side, the sharp blade of his sword cutting the man free of his legs, while he jammed the dagger into the man's face. The scream of pain was cut short by the swift removal of the dagger and a spin, slashing the vocal cords of his foe, and blocking another axe in one swift movement, this time his fist would knock the axe away, and his sword would sink into the stomach of his foe and rip up, popping the man's ribs in two, leaving a gaping hole where his innards should have been. She was Fascinated.

Florina flew by, taking a moment to spot Hiiro leaping into the air. His sword came down with enough force to cut the next man's back open like a clam being split. His sword came out with a curve and he cut two stunned axe men across the stomach, smirking as their bellies emptied of their guts. She flew on, and dropped their extra quiver down beside Wil. "Only 45 arrows?" She drove her Pegasus down and rammed her spear through another man's arm, bringing the blood gushing like a fountain. Another arrow whizzed by and buried it's self in his heart. She could see the bones shatter and shards of the newly shattered ribcage shoot out of his back from the force of the arrow.

"It was all we had." She screamed as an arrow shot into her arm. "AHH!" her Pegasus bucked as she flew off the back of the Pegasus-Mare, and she started to fall. Her Pegasus swooped about as fast as it could, coming down and catching her inches from the ground.

Wil nearly panicked. He was in truth, scared of other archers. He grabbed the flying-mare's reigns and led her around the corner. "HELP!" he yelled. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and cursed. He hadn't picked up the other. He turned out around the corner, loosing his arrow hastily, and cleanly missing the other archer. The foe's arrow had been loosed already, and fount its head buried nicely in Wil's leg. "DAMN!" he yelled.

Hiiro heard the commotion. Sain was about to rush back, when Hiiro shook his head. Sain nodded, and dashed to the middle of the space between him and the mercenary, inhaling deeply. Kent also took up slack, moving his whirling blade and footwork towards the middle of the two groups. Sain wiped blood from a slash on his face. Kent ignored the dents in his armor from a faulty step and getting caught with an axe. He stopped his Kata, and stood at the ready with his sword, taking a grip on the slightly longer handle, and smiling. "I suppose this might be the end, my friend."

Sain smirked. "Nah, I don't think so. After all, I'm still scared of women. Let's not break our pact." Kent smiled and nodded. "Then I guess we can't die."

"We're not allowed to." Together, they stood tall, and held their weapons. Sain stood tall with his sword and dagger, while Kent held his iron sword like it was an Ilian Katana. "FOR CAELIN!" they yelled together and charged the enemy ranks.

Hiiro used the blood on his boots to allow him to slide into the hall of the fort, and Dashed towards the west side. He saw the other archer standing above Wil, pulling back the string. The dark blue chain mail barely made a sound as the mercenary charged towards the archer, his sword out and ready to slice. The archer barely looked up as Hiiro's great-sword like weapon cut through his foe, the bow and arrow falling in two as the blade bit into the man's elbow and ran out, cutting along the bone, filleting most of his forearm and cutting his upper arm open like a muffin. He slid on his blood soaked boots, and the blade continued to flow over his foe's body, all while Florina looked on in awe. It followed along the collar bone's path until it exited half way out of the archer's neck. Hiiro kicked the wall, and was surprised to see that it suddenly found traction again, and propelled him towards the other wall in the long hall of rubble and corpses. His sword spun with him, and caught the archer in the side of the head, cutting into his temple and breaking through the skull, leaving a pale grey organ exposed, even as blood oozed over it.

The archer fell as the mercenary kicked off the other wall, and spun, going for the last living thing in the hall. A single swordsman hefted his own great sword and smirked, ready to cut the high flying young man in two. But his foe failed to realize something. The building's roof had tried to collapse, just behind Hiiro, and he kicked off of it, driving his body towards his foe. The other mercenary gawked as Hiiro closed his eyes and began spinning.

A man's stomach provided surprisingly little resistance to a great sword when it is coming at him at nearly one hundred horse-lengths a minute. (100 MPH.) Add this to the fact that it was now rotating at something close to the speed of a drill… You get the picture. Wil was shocked to see what had happened. The man's stomach was not simply driven through, it was drilled away. Blood and flesh showered the walls and floor as the blood-covered mercenary drove himself into his foe. The gaping hole could not have been bigger if the man had been hit by a ballista. Hiiro rolled as he came in contact with the stunned man's body, and hit his feet on the ground, leaping up in the air.

The unfortunate axe-man had been trying to run away from this new demon that bounced off of walls and drilled holes in men. The dark blue cloth looked to him like a grim reaper as he turned.

Hiiro used the momentum from the roll to leap into the air, and he came down with his sword between his legs. He was slightly off center of the man. His feet hit the man's shoulder and he jammed the sword down. It did not cut through both side of his body like Hiiro had supposed it would. Instead, it cut into his body much like a sword in a stone. The blade could be seen just behind the brigand's eyeball, and erupting out of his face just below there, plunging into his body, and cutting through the lowest points of the well-exercised man's abdomen.

Unfortunately, the man had fallen to his knees, and so when this blade exited the man's leg, it collided with the ground. A blade can only take so much stress before it breaks. And it deiced to break now. At the collision with stone, the blade sang its protest, and the hilt decided to break off. Hiiro, with all his forward momentum, ended up being flung across the exit of the place with a yelp. "AHH!"

Lucky for him there were plenty of dead or dying men and plenty of blood to break his fall. Of course, that didn't stop him from eventually hitting the ground, and the blood was quite slick, enabling him to skid towards the rear wall of the fort.

Hiiro sat up slowly. "Whoa…. Damn that was cool." He got up, and nearly fell again amongst all the blood. He careful walked across the dying men, using them like stepping stones to avoid the slippery floor, not that the men were any less slippery. He stopped as he passed the man he had drilled through, and grabbed up the great sword his foe had wielded. It was a bit heavier, but it was still wonderful. "A steel blade huh? Not even used either!" He smiled.

The wounded Florina had watch this all with her jaw nearly touching the floor, and Wil was just amazed. Hiiro stopped and helped them up. "Come on; let's get you two patched up. I don't think anyone else will want to come through that way.

The silent effigy of the impaled man looked out at his comrades; the broken great sword impaled through his body did indeed deter other intruders.

Lyn was outside the fort now, with Dorcas. Her sacred blade was lodged into one man's spine in a flash, and Dorcas was bringing his axe down on another with a grunt. His left handed toss of his hand-axe cut into another's chest with a dull THUD. Lyn pulled his sword free, and spun, reflecting the light of the sun off the blade. It was only after she realized the sun wasn't up enough to produce a blinding burst that she wondered how it happened, but it had, and the axe-man in front of her paid dearly for it. Her blade sang in the air as it swiftly fell from the top of its arc, cutting cleanly down the front of the man. A moment afterwards, his right side fell forward and his left side backwards. Lyn could swear she didn't cut him that deeply.

Dorcas was swinging his axe like a wild man, cutting clean through anything that got in his way as he yanked his throwing ace back with the cloth. They continued to cut their way south from the doorway.

Carjiga snarled. "DAMNIT! That's it, bring up our special friend." His minion stuttered. "B-b-but s-sir! We're not sure it won't turn on us!"

"We captured it, didn't we? We can kill it if it does turn!" The archer nodded to the man, and he ran backwards towards the large men holding the beast down. "Let it lose towards the fort."

Garnet sniffed the air. He smelled something unnatural. A mix between a Pegasus's stench and a wyvern's aroma. He dashed towards the main gate.

Sain and Kent were being forced back, but they were taking their toll on the steady stream of men. They stepped back and panted harshly. Their weapons were blood soaked and they were tired. They had been hard at this combat for nearly five hours now. The sun had risen quite high, and it was starting to give them a rather large blind spot. But they heard the roar.

Somewhere between a Dragon and a Pegasus does a Pegavern exist. He result of a desperate female wyvern needing a clutch and a willing Pegasus stallion, these beasts are born. Capable of complete flight and highly resistant to everything except arrows and good steel or silver weapons and sheer frost, these beasts are doomed to death in Bernian lands because of the harsh winters. But this one had lived. The beast swooped down towards the two knights who stared at it in a sense of awe. It roared its displeasure.

Sain and Kent dashed backwards towards the fort, running for their lives. At the door sat calm, and very collected Garnet. Ariana was patting him on the shoulder. "That thing's going to eat us, you know." The Half-dragon looked at her very drolly. 'Duh.'

"Isn't it a fellow Wyvern?" The calm young dragon shook his head. 'No, it's a Pegavern, for lack of a better name. Result of a desperate wyvern and a willing stallion Pegasus. Very nasty and very stupid, but very mean, and always hungry. I suppose I should kill it.'

Ariana nodded solemnly as Kent and Sain dashed by her and took cover. Garnet lazily stood up and yawned as the beast landed In front of him and his mistress. It hissed at the pair of its deniers. Ariana shivered. "C-c-c-cold…" she turned pale, and ran into the fort. "It breathes the winter!"

In fact, it did. It inhaled deeply, and pushed forth its magic, the frosting winds running into the fort's walls, leaving a snow-like power on everything. Garnet merely shook it off. 'Got anything better?' It looked at him with an expression of boredom. 'You might want to cover your ears, guys…'

Garnet stood up slowly, and craned his head. Instead of hearing the hissing of breath, they heard a low growl. The Pegavern glared at its new prey, who withstood its freezing breath. The growl began to get deeper in tone, and Sain suddenly realized what was happening. "ROAR!" he yelled, and dived into the blood soaked hall, holding his ears tightly. Kent grabbed Ariana, and pulled her towards the inner room as she started to hyperventilate. "Cold… cold… winter…" Kent winced as he placed his hands over her ears.

Garnet's growl suddenly erupted into nothing less than an earsplitting roar. And he hadn't even stretched his neck out yet. Wyverns do have a breath weapon, of sorts, but instead of exhaling liquid flame or anything of the sort, they drew the air into their bodies, heating it up, this is where a wyvern's roar comes from. Bones in the wyvern's neck rattle about as the air is inhaled, causing sound, that builds as the air intake becomes more powerful.

This however, was somewhere between a wyvern's roar and a dragon's. A dragon's roar had magical properties. Apparently, Garnet's did too. The ear-splitting sound rocked forth like a wave, slamming the Pegavern with force enough to burst its eardrums. The men in the direct path behind the Pegavern screamed in pain as their ears began to bleed, and not a few lost some teeth from the sheer force of the vibration.

The actual exhaling is a different story all-together. Young dragons, often called drakes, are somewhere between stages of evolution. Their wings allow flight, but they cannot breathe flame, though their roars are about as powerful as they will be as full grown dragons. At a Wyvern's second year, its body temperature spikes, keeping the beast at a very comfortable hundred fifty degrees. This of course, is hot. Combine that with a Half-step of dragon blood, (Thereby enhancing the temperature, AND speeding the development of dragon biology) and you get a four hundred degree blast of hot air soaked with an accelerant. This is what happened to the army in front of Garnet.

The young Half-dragon exhaled quickly, feeling something inside his body empty, unlike when he had melted Glass. He tasted something peculiarly sweet in his breath as he exhaled, and he felt the air from his mouth heat enormously. Then he felt the flames erupt. The air was hot, and already swathing the Pegavern's fur-like scales, and hitting the men behind, but when the liquid soaked the air about them…

Lyn saw the signs of Garnet using his breath as she and Dorcas stopped their southward Advance to gawk at the freakish beast the bandits had released. She saw a kind of white mist erupt from the young-dragon's head as he exhaled his breath. Then she saw it happen. The flame started at the young-dragon's mouth, but it then erupted across the field like a million Elfire spells at once. "Holy Horse Lords of the Sky…" The wave of heated air was already blackening the men behind the beast's axes and flesh, but when the accelerant hit them, it was like watching hell come onto earth. The wide cone of soaked air blasted the men with the whitish liquid, and then it caught fire, each drop not burning, but exploding as though it were an entire tome of fire in one moment. She could see the men go flying through the air, limbs blown off, a roasted flesh sloping wetly off of fire-scorched bones.

Garnet stopped exhaling as he felt the accelerant empty from him. He spat a little, and coughed. 'Whoa… that was new.' The smoke in front of him drifted away slowly, revealing the Pegavern. Its fur was ablaze, and scales had been blown out of its flesh, and it had gaping holes where skin should have been. It leaned down and roared its protest as it snapped at Garnet. The smaller, more nimble beast dashed outside and flew, pulling the fight into the air. The twin dragons danced in the air, the slower bigger Pegavern was having trouble keeping up, seeing as holes had been blown in its wings.

Garnet snarled as he dodged another bite. He swooped around, somehow getting around the Pegavern's neck. His fangs still dripped with the accelerant. The liquid poured into the beast's bloodstream. And wyvern breath is hot, causing the normally cold bodied creature to begin to heat up. Garnet locked his claws into a bare spot on the Pegavern's back. He didn't let go for quite a time. The flight of this beast was doomed. Garnet ripped his teeth away, pulling quite a bit of flesh with it. Accelerant soaked blood poured out of the beast and onto the men down below who were preparing for another assault. But Garnet didn't release the beast just yet. He reached back with his neck, and bit into the Pegavern's more fragile wing. He ripped it away calmly. He released his hold on the Pegavern, and smirked. The beast fell away, out of the sky, and landed on two very frightened men.

Lyn and Dorcas ran for the fort. She ducked inside the main room and screamed "DOWN! EVERYONE GET DOWN!"

Garnet landed in front of the two men, and smiled, biting into the Pegavern's exposed stomach as it breathed its last. 'Hello, Gentlemen. My name is Garnet. I am a very evil wyvern, with a very evil agenda. You see, your men hurt the man my mistress seems to like. This is bad. This is very bad. For you.' He smiled quietly and pushed the flesh underneath the two men's heads. Garnet looked at the body of the Pegavern, and he already felt his accelerant gland begin to refill. Of course, it was nowhere near full, but it was enough. He calmly stepped around to the front of the dying beast, which tried to roar at him. He waited until the jaws opened, then snapped, using his tongue to hold the beast's throat open as he shot a stream of accelerant down it's gullet. He jerked quickly, hearing a satisfying snap, and he knew he had broken the beast's neck, so that it couldn't vomit. He quickly released his grip, and let its jaw snap shut. He calmly stalked around to the front of the two men again, and spat a bit of accelerant in a strip along the ground.

They looked at the dragon with pure fear in their eyes. His slightly golden-scarlet tinted scales shimmered in the mid-morning light. He blew a stream of hot air at the accelerant, which started to burn slowly. 'I wonder what happens when this flame reaches that piece of meat under your heads, that's filled with my venom.' He smiled. 'I would love to stay and find out, but I'm afraid my Mistress may need me. Cheerio, Gents! Have a fine day, and I wish you well in the rest of your life!' Garnet walked away and flapped his wings, getting altitude as the rest of the men under the service of Carjiga gathered around to see what happened to their leader. Garnet smiled, and landed in the main place, before snuggling up to Ariana. The rest of them looked at garnet with raised eyebrows. 'I believe you like big blazing fires, my queen?'

Ariana giggled. "Oh yes, Sir Wyvern, I love fire!" She snuggled into garnet's fading fur. He walked towards the main entrance to the fort. He looked back over his shoulders. 'I suggest you take cover.' He said simply.

Carjiga sighed as his assistant kept trying to blow the flame out. It only succeeded in accelerating it. "I didn't want to die today…"

The explosion rocked the nearby countryside for a full forty seconds. The first explosions they heard were small and in short bursts. They were explosions nonetheless, though most knew not what they were. Of course, once the flames and explosions had reached to the stomach…

Garnet himself was surprised at the force of the blast. Ariana simply whooped. The corpse of the Pegavern suddenly became a fine red mist in about a second, and then he saw the enormous fireball reaching into the sky like a protest of the very earth. The men who had been soaked in the liquid were blown back, and exploded in the heated air, turning into red colored showers in mid air. It looked almost like the Ilian 'Fireworks' Ariana was so interested in. Two scorched skulls landed in front of him. 'Huh… Looks like their heads got blown off first. Oh well.' Ariana whooped and hollered as she watched the massive fireball rise into the sky.

* * *

I smiled as I lay their peacefully, watching the world through garnet's eyes. I looked back over my shoulder. "I thank you Elimine, for granting Garnet that power." She smiled. "I granted nothing. That power is from within him. That is his birth-right. I protected your army for you while you were wounded. A Cleric will be along soon, I hope. We need you fighting fit." She patted me on the shoulder.

I shrugged. "I suppose it wasn't a bad trade. I wouldn't have seen something like this in my old life. A nuclear explosion, in this world? That's just a bit extraordinary." I smiled.

Elimine grinned. "When your world is extraordinary in and of it's self, you tend to take the unexpected for granted."

I smiled, and lay back down with my body, rather enjoying the down-time.

* * *

Erk was the first to get up. "DAMN! What in Elimine's great name was that!"

Serra shrugged, and stood up, running towards the massive fireball rising into the sky. "Well, all I know is I want to find out!"

Erk sighed. "Wait up, Serra!" he dashed after the hyperactive priestess.

* * *

Well, there we go, another installment of my story. Hope you all liked it!

Tune in next time!

Explanations for this chapter: Hiiro was an OC submitted by Razorangel that seemed to strike my interest. Then again, he seems very… Spike Spiegel like and I like Spike. What can I say? Shrug

Garnet's breath? Simple. As a base for being a dragon, I'm mixing two different dragon types. In Reign of Fire, the dragons breathe fire by mixing an Accelerant and a Catalyst, there by making the air burn, thus breathing fire. In a wyvern, which are basically winged komodo dragons, the teeth are coated in bacteria after a certain age, insuring that the Komodo gets a kill if it gets a bite. Therefore, Garnet, being only half dragon, would only get one part of the dragon system, and one part of the wyvern system. The dragon part I choose is the accelerant. And being warm blooded, they would have warm breath, but, being as big as they are, to keep the skin correctly heated, they would need a MASSIVE internal body temperature. His fangs are coated in the accelerant with every breath, no matter how insignificant, insuring that he can breathe fire when he needs to, or just make things explode when he bites them.

Thus: Garnet breathes out little white specks that are flammable, and explosive if in concentrations. Somewhat like gasoline. Garnet's heated breath hits these specks. It's enough to melt Glass' sword, so it's enough to make these things go boom. TADA! Explosive breathing wyvern!

. There, happy now all you unbelievers?


	7. Support Chapter 2: Burning Earth Policy?

Since my last chapter got cut a bit shorter than I would have liked (Hell, the tactician was beat into a holy shit hole by his Sister/Commander/Charge-as-a-guardian-angel) I'm going to feature a new support chapter this time. I know, it wasn't announced, but I really need Kai at full strength.

And by the way, RazorAngel, thank you so much for the positive reviews. Thank you all for the reviews. If it wasn't for Razor's spike Spiegel look-a-like and his incessant reviewing, I might not pump these out at least every 2 days. I'm one of those writers who thrive on reviewer strength. I'm glad you liked Garnet's breath. I was going for something between a black dragon (Known for corrosive breath and acidic bites, very Komodo-dragonish, if you ask me.) and a Gold Dragon. (Known for flaming breath.)

Ah, but I'm wasting time, this isn't a rant chapter.

Or is it? MWHAHAHA! .

* * *

Support chapter 2: Burned Earth Policy?

* * *

The campfire was bright as Serra and Erk came ever closer to whatever it was that was calling to Serra. Somehow, she knew she couldn't arrive to early… but she might be too late.

Garnet coughed up another blood soaked ball. He looked at it with distaste, and flung it into the pit he was making for them. Ariana sat beside her best friend. "What are those anyway, Garnet?"

'As far as I can tell…' the dragon began to muse with a worried tone, 'what's left of my stomach's lining. Wyvern bodies weren't meant to cope with the accelerant I shoot out to make my fireworks.' He gagged again harshly. 'We heal fast, but I still won't be breathing fire, or even that liquid for quite a while. I went a little… happy with that.'

She smirked. "Kinda like my first fire spells. My fingers still hurt from those." She wasn't wounded nearly anywhere on the scale of Kai, but her fingers did hurt. She had cast the spell nearly one hundred times in a row, just for practice.

'When did you learn that?' Garnet asked inquisitively.

"Kai taught me while you were locked up for being a naughty dragon."

Garnet sighed physically as he spat out another stream of bloodied chunks. 'All in the interest of science my dear… Go talk to Sain for a while; I'm fairly sure he and Hiiro are up to no good.'

She shrugged and nodded. She understood the meaning of "Leave me to my misery." When it came from her wyvern-dragon, it meant he was sore. She skipped towards the fort. Garnet hawked another blood soaked chunk of flesh up and groaned. He looked at the small crater he stood over, now nearly half full of blood and guts and corpses. 'By the way, Ariana…' he thought just before she was out of mind-shot, 'Sain's not packing more than me.' He smirked as he heard her eep and he felt the small clod of dirt smack his wing.

"PERVERTED DRAGON!" Garnet shrugged. 'At least I'm the lucky one. The hottest woman in the group claims me… even if I have to share.'

Sain smiled quietly. "Heya demon." He heard Ariana say. Hiiro took the advantage. With a quick sweep, the guy had Sain in a Bear-hug of sorts. "Hiya, Angel!" Sain replied nonchalantly as the Mercenary took him down to the ground. Sain rolled over with the tight squeeze from the slightly shorter man, and smirked as he sat on top of him. Kent looked at Hiiro with a look of pity. "Fire in the Hole!" Sain yelled.

Hiiro was dancing around and screaming in utter pain quickly. "OH GOD! I'M BLIND! AUGH!"

Kent shook his head. "Never squeeze Sain too hard. He's able to release on demand. We call it his "Super weapon" of sorts. Somewhat like a Durandal. Only stronger." The red pants knight nodded calmly.

"WHAT THE HELL MAN? UGH!" Hiiro tried to sneeze, but releasing his nose only brought air into the poor nostrils, which still had the scent clinging to the hairs. Of course, this fed him a whiff of what could be nothing less than exactly what hell smelled like.

Sain of course, sat calmly in the middle of the slightly tinted air. "I honestly don't see what the problem is." He inhaled deeply. "It just smells normal to me."

Kent smirked. "That's because you live with it. Besides, that weapon could convince even the Daein Marquess to cease and desist." Kent of course, was sitting calmly by, waiting the stink out. "By the way, Hiiro, as a general rule, the stench lasts for about three minutes. He's part of the Hazing rituals now. For three days and nights, he has to eat nothing but Lima, Butter, Pinto, Chili, Great northern, hell, any bean they can get…" He smirked as Hiiro looked at him with fear. "And they stick him in a nicely made shack. Air tight. And he lets one off."

"Really, those are prize winners. One season, I had a 3 minute long constant foghorn." He smirked. "The air really was slightly green in that cabin… And lord was it painful to watch those cadets go in." He smiled brightly. "After about thirty seconds I noticed the air going green. About a minute later, I smelled the most awful stench of all time. But, it was for the kids."

Hiiro could finally breathe again. "How long do they have to stay in there?"

"From breakfast mess hall's end, at seven 15 sharp, till Lunch mess hall's beginning. Lunch mess begins at roughly 11:15. Four hours in all."

Hiiro's jaw hit the ground. "How many make it through…"

"All of them, we don't let them Out." Said Sain with a smirk. Kent nodded solemnly. "After they walk in they begin to doubt they're Caelin Knight Material. They stay completely silent and breathe as slow as possible. Still, it's a horrible experience."

"What other kind of hazing do you guys do?"

"Well, I do take part in it occasionally. I scare off more than Sain's weapon, but that's because they're free to flee at that point. Usually, there are four weeks of hazing. And in the fourth week, they face his weapon. It's the last hazing point. If they can walk inside without hurling, they're in. If they can survive all four Hours… We respect them. We've pulled out guys who've passed out, guys who've shit themselves…it's horrible."

Kent shrugged. "As for what I do, I usually get the first week Knights. I make them strip to their skivvies in pitch black, and then get a flame lit. I dress like a Savage and do some Kata. If they flinch, they're out."

Hiiro raised his eyebrow. "But they're already Knights…. Aren't they going to be allowed to stay in the corps?" Kent smirked. "Well, you see, in Caelin, there is a stipulation in the Knight's Code. It states that any who fail 'Peer Muster' will be demoted to squire of the peer who they could not pass. Meaning, if I scare you, you're my Squire for a week, and then I put you right back in for the hazing, this time putting you back into squire hazing."

Hiiro's eyebrow rose even further, threatening to eat his forehead. "Squire hazing?" Sain smiled. "In Caelin, Squire hazing is simple. You go out, and you find a brigand. You kill him, and you bring his body back. A Knight will accompany you, but he cannot aid you unless you're near death."

Hiiro could breathe now. "Alright, but we agreed this little match was to be free of weapons. That… That gateway to hell you call an anus is off limits too." Sain nodded and stood up, walking a bit over towards the woods. "I might be a bit then…"

Florina had watched the whole thing. She sighed. Sain was an odd one. She was a full thirty foot clear of the cloud (Which was consequently drifting towards the place where they had camped Kai out. He was too wounded to move.) She gasped as she heard a sound something akin to a carriage's breaks squealing in protest to going down a hill quickly. She then heard Sain's voice. "Sorry!"

Kent was the one who replied as he stood, ready to wrestle with Hiiro. "Just finish your business boy and keep silent!"

"Kent!" Sain yelled from behind the tree, "If I were to keep them silent, you and I both know I'd have to move away every thirty seconds."

Hiiro and Florina both paled. Lyn just rolled her eyes, and Ariana couldn't stifle the fits of laughter. She finally sat down with Lyndis to watch Kai. "Well, at least we know how to avoid smelling it…"

"Too much perfume is never enough." They nodded sagely as they heard Hiiro take a rather painful fall. Florina continued to referee the match. Kent she was very comfortable around. Sain too, but Hiiro was still too new. Dorcas was just Dorcas. He was off taking Natalie back to the village.

Kai started to stir…

"He's waking up!" Lyn hollered… then she nearly jumped out of her seat as he started to nearly seizure. "STINKS!" and he passed out.

* * *

I coughed and gagged wildly in my ether state, while Elimine and Roland laughed at me as if I were a clown. "OH ELIMINE BE DAMNED THAT WAS…. OH GODDESS SAVE ME!"

Roland snickered. "He's an accomplished hazer, that's for sure…"

Elimine smirked as I rolled around nearly seizing. "Well, you thought you were ready to go back to your body. Wait on those two I said were coming."

"You are a cold hearted-bitch!" I screamed at her and I stormed off, sneezing furiously in an effort to expunge the stink tainted snot from my nose. Sain had always been far away from me when he blasted one. But still, I had smelled some of them before. That weapon was as powerful to the soul as garnet's breath was to the body. "Demoralize a whole damn army with one fart, I swear!"

Roland and Elimine smiled as they watched the disembodied strategist walk away from his corpse in the vaguely blue and grey version of earth that they had crafted for him while he was 'dead' so to speak. Roland looked over at Elimine. "You know he's right though."

"About what?"

Roland refrained from saying the first thing that was in his mouth. He swallowed the comment. "The demoralization part. Why in the world would you give someone a fart that stinks THAT badly?"

"I work in mysterious ways my dear Roland."

* * *

Sain snuck the small book out of his waist-pouch and began to read as he took care of business. The title? "Self-confidence: How to get the shy girl."

Kent and Hiiro laid back and panted from their last round. They had gone hold for hold. Florina just absently stared at Hiiro's lower abdomen, willing her eyes not to drift even further down. She was already hot and bothered. Hiiro was cute as all hell and had that "I'm badass. Fear me." Air too him, kind of like Sain, only… meaner. But kinder at the same time. He was also hot and covered in sweat. And panting. She couldn't even try to save her mind as it took off down gutter lane. A little blob of drool formed at the corner of her mouth.

* * *

Wil sat shotgun to Dorcas as the horses pulled the cart back to camp. "Well well, it seems the group has been having…. GODS ALIVE! WHAT IS THAT FOUL SMELL!"

Garnet, despite being alone in his misery (Though he almost felt healthy) was the first to respond. 'Well, Sain farted. And then he went and used the bathroom.'

"Which is still presently occupied!" yelled the man from behind a tree. Dorcas just grunted. "When you've gotta go…"

"Well why couldn't he go in the crater?"

'I wouldn't have it. I'm miserable enough, without my much more sensitive nose smelling that. Trust me; it's strong enough over here. Burning human flesh is not pleasant, and this whole place stinks of Pegavern!'

"Maybe I shouldn't have bought the preserved beans-and-beef-lengths… Bad Idea, Dorcas."

Wil paled. "Those are not to come ANYWHERE near Sain. At all. At any time. Ever. In the history of history!" Dorcas just smiled.

"Sain! I brought a local specialty for you! We call them affectionately, "Beanie-weenies." I want you to try some!"

"Sounds delicious!"

Sain was getting up, and walking to the river, WELL down stream of where they got their drinking water from, and a bit downstream of the clothes washing area.

Dorcas grinned widely as he got the mess items from the covered wagon. Wil helped as well. "Ah, so Dorcas is cooking again?" asked Hiiro as he sat around the fire. "Yeah, Antelious stew with chili beans." He grabbed the small pail of milk and poured a bit in the pot with the tomato sauce and water and beef. He began to dice up carrots and onions. Lyn helped by peeling the potatoes.

Garnet slowly trudged around and sat beside Ariana, and left the space beside him empty. 'Not so spicy, eh, Dorcas?'

"That's kind of funny." He said as he dusted off the onion shavings from his apron. He walked back to the wagon. "Who wants hard tack?" Not a single hand went up. He smirked. "Good, I would have kicked your asses. We're having biscuits! Natalie would have my nuts in a vice if I ever cooked hard tack…" he shuddered as he remembered that night…

* * *

It was stormy, and dreary, but the cabin was cozy. They were running low on food again, so they decided on Tack-and-mustard. It was a staple food of the poor. If you couldn't afford real biscuits or jelly, you had tack-and-mustard. The only problem was that Dorcas, for all of his culinary talent, (His family was a long line of chefs.) he couldn't cook hard tack. It escaped him.

Natalie was hungry though, so he would DEFFIENTALY give it a shot. He pulled out the flour and poured a bit of water to it. He put it in the pan on the stove. Four minutes later…

"DISGUSTING!" Natalie yelled as she uppercutted her husband (Thereby sending him flying.) "I'm supposed to eat this pig-shit?" another blow and the helpless Dorcas was apologizing. "I married you because you're nice and you can cook… And you try to feed me this utter shit?"

* * *

Dorcas shook off the night mare. "Let's just say I can't cook tack, hard or soft."

Everyone had seen the look of fear in his eyes. Sain took his seat and nodded. "Rough woman then?"

"You have no Idea."

"I might."

They heard some ruffling. "Hello the camp!"

Sain got up with garnet and Ariana. "Drop your weapons where you stand. Books and staves too."

The two obeyed as the fading light of day caught them in dusty robes. A cleric and a mage they looked like. "Mage, remove your cloak, Cleric, on your Honor as a servant of Elimine, swear you have no blade."

She nodded. "Why in the world would I carry a blade? I have my Erky-poo to protect me!"

The girls in the camp looked like they had just been tail-slapped by their dragon, and the guys just had one single thought. "Hige?"

"I am NOT your 'Erky-poo' whatever that means. GOD you need to watch your tongue."

"Goddess, you sacrilegious bastard! And watch how you talk to me, I AM after all, a cleric of house Ostia!"

The group sighed. "Gather your belongings and drop them at the dragon's feet, then follow Ariana into camp. We'll feed and shelter you, so long as you mind the wounded." Lyn finished speaking and looked a Hiiro. He nodded quietly. If they needed something watched… quietly… they turned to him.

"My name is Erk." He sat down on the log he was lead too. "I am Serra… Oh my Goddess' light! BRING ME MY STAFF DRAGON!"

Serra's eyes had fallen on the pale skinned youth in the middle of the circle. The others went for their weapons as garnet brought the staff. He dropped it, and she was certain she thought a male voice said to her 'Here. Take it.'

As she stood and lifted her staff, she was stopped by Erk's hand. Lyn spoke his silent concern. "Harm our Strategist… and you'll be gutted and fed to our dragon." As if to emphasize the point, Garnet growled and licked his lips.

"Oh shut up girl. I'm a cleric; it's my job to assist the needy." Lyn's only thought on that was 'Cheeky little bitch…'

"Great Elimine, Bless this man with all your strength! Bring him from death's door, and deliver him unto us! Let him breathe and walk again, and reside amongst the living!"

Lyn shook her head. "Stupid girl… He's a Strategist. You must do something for me or swear loyalty to be able to heal him. I'm his Cipher."

Erk sighed. "Well then, swear off to her Serra."

Serra giggled as she blushed. "I was just trying to heal him as soon as possible. I swear to you, Lady of this camp, that I will heal your comrade and nothing more."

Lyn nodded, and suddenly, Serra (And Erk, for some reason) felt a weight tie onto them. "What's this?"

Hiiro sighed. "He's dying. We all feel it. He's an angel, of sorts. His presence raises us up, and gives us strength. Lyn is feeling more… hospitable to him, worried for him. That makes her a better Cipher, or something. Ask Kent for the details, just heal him."

Kent sighed. "My father designed some Strategist amulets. His is a Derivative. Instead of requiring blood directly, it requires FAITH and blood. And trust. It enables quicker spells and blessings from the strategist, but it carries a much heavier price to use. It's a double edged sword."

Serra nodded as she slammed the staff down to invoke it, and she pared silently. The wounds on the man began to heal. Kent continued. "This also links him more closely to the army. Basically, he feels every hit we take, roughly. But we feel just how hurt he is. Without us, he would be dead. We NEED him, and so we hold his soul close to his body."

They all felt something tighten. Kent screamed "STOP!" Serra did so under a look of protest. "Why?"

"You're scorching him."

* * *

I nearly screamed as my hand got burned. Elimine was by my side in a moment. "Mana burn…" she said quietly. "I'm sorry Kai, I didn't know she was… well, that stupid."

I held my hand as the black scorch marks traveled up my hand and I screamed in pain. "STOP YOU STUPID WITCH!" I wanted to strike her. But Kent saved me. I could hear him explain.

"Strategists are a different breed. You could heal a warrior like that, or even a mage, but with him, it has to be slower, more deliberate. As you know, most weapons have residual enchantments, and magic is an enchantment. Being a Strategist takes a very special person. They must be able to 'Phase'. When they're phased, their bodies empty of their souls but leave a tie to their bodies. Then they link to our souls, effectively 'Haunting' us. That's how the command so naturally. But ANY attack can be EXTRMELY lethal, armor or no. Armor usually worsens it."

"You see, their souls are so closely linked to this world, even friendly magic can harm them. It's called "Mana burn." And it's the most lethal thing in the world."

Serra shook her head. "I've never heard tell of this…"

Kent sighed. "Ostia is commanded by its generals, correct? Well, the other cantons employ "tacticians." A tactician is a Strategist who is less connected to the world." He continued his explanation. "They don't receive Mana burn on their souls. They receive it on their bodies. That's the key difference. If they are attacked, they receive a black scorch mark around the wound… such as Kai's shoulder."

He sighed. "Try again, but go VERY slowly. If the wounds can be clearly seen healing, you're scorching him."

She nodded, and I gulped. My life, my very EXISTANCE was in the hands of a newbie cleric. She nodded and began to pray, and I felt the mana burn slowly spread. "SLOWER!" Kent shouted. He watched my shoulder intently. The knitting flesh was painstakingly slow and I could see sweat beading on Serra's forehead. I felt the mana burn on my shoulder begin to recede. Elimine patted me. "She's doing much better."

I nodded, and grunted when she forced me into my body. "Go back, Kai, your journey is still not done."

* * *

I gasped. "ELIMINE!" Lyn and the others nearly swarmed me. "Ugh… Never heal me that fast again, Serra."

She nodded and sat down panting. Dorcas just served up the bowls of stew. "It's good to be back guys… but I'm fucking HUNGRY! Let's eat!"

Lyn smirked and elbowed Kent. "He's back."

Hiiro was next. "The leper speaks! How was heaven?"

"Blue, grey, and it looks a lot like this place… then again, I was being held in limbo because you guys needed me." I shrugged. "Fix me up a bowl of that, Dorcas!"

* * *

The black cloaked strategist hissed from the shadows and looked at the remaining Ganeleon bandits. "We can't attack them right now…" One of them snarled. Bug stayed silent. "We have to! They're wounded and the cleric's spent!"

The man suddenly found his jaw simply missing. The Black cloaked man's eyes slit tighter as he crushed the offending appendage between his fingers. The man tried to scream, but he found something else in his throat. The black-cloaked man's hand was in his throat, ripping out his wind-pipe. Bug looked away. "Stupid… never question a Black Fang strategist. We lost Carjiga because he didn't listen."

The strategist began to rip the man apart, watching the man's eyes as he did so. The man tried to fight but found he couldn't move his arm. He looked down in time to see the dragon-like claws rip into his shoulder and remove a muscle. He felt the beast's other hand rip at a rib.

Bug looked at the sickly yellow blood in the Blood-bind. The Strategist was in a 'Blood lust' that the Black-fang woman had warned him of. He looked at his second. "Bring me a bird. We got some Defective merchandise." He took off the amulet, and the freak who was tearing apart the man beside him barely noticed.

"I can't feel that exquisite pain anymore! Did you have a change of heart?" he pulled the still beating object from the man's now shredded chest. The man was finally dying. He squeezed it and smiled at the shower of blood.

Bug dropped his axe on the neck of the morph. "Poor guy… You guys understand now? This… merchandise is very buggy. The girl said it's a two sided sword. We're moving on, we'll ambush these guys from the next villages."

The men nodded, and looked at the twitching mass on top of the now chestless man. Bug continued to butcher it, until it stopped twitching, but the head still watched it with fascination. "HURT ME MORE!" it yelled as Bug turned. Bug looked back at it… then split it like a melon. "Fine." He said as they started walking towards the Lycian nation.

* * *

Well, that's that. Seems the Morphs (Being soulless) Eventually go batty if they use blessings, or even try to be strategists. (Namely because a being without a soul would Psionically project, and that taxes the mind. Being beasts made of just random soul energy, they're not even stable normally!

I apologize for slipping in a new chapter like this. I like the idea of support chapters though. They just seem to fill the voids between chapters. I may make them a regular feature. shrug Dunno, though it would be very nice to have something horrible happen every chapter then find a way to fix it in the SCs. Or vise versa. shrug Oh well.

Next chapter: Mission 5: (I'll get the name in a minute.): A half-dragon takes to the sky, and blood of his mistress is shared. But when the last of the Ganeleon bandits decide to attack, what is it become of the Strategist and his crew?

P.S. I'll give you a hint. I've decided to begin the over-arcing Subplot (Which will span on into the FE8 fic that's going to be written after this one.) Think back a few chapters, before the nuke breath but after the Mani-Katti. Read that chapter again. You'll figure it out.

P.S.S. What creature in FE 8 looks a lot like a half-dragon? TRIVA FOR THE WIN PUNKAHS! .

Bounce time for me, catch ya on the flipside! (I know, I fail miserably at being gangsta, G.)


	8. Chapter 5: Beyond the Borders

Fire Emblem Redux: Dragon's Blood

Chapter 5: Beyond The Borders

(Also known as: Support chapter: Steely eyed stallion?)

A/n: Well, before we get started… Sorry, the last chapter was crap. Really, it was only about 2000 words… what am I supposed to do with 2k words? Really, it was more or less only a thousand… couldn't do much, other than set up THIS chapter. I suppose you could think of Support chapters as my way of filling the time between them. Oh well.

For those who are wondering…. NO! ARIANA DOES NOT 'DO' HER DRAGON!!!! Gah….

* * *

I leaned up after the good meal. I sighed heavily, but Erk spoke up quite… well, he spoke with authority that didn't belong.

"So, how does a strategist come that close to death…? Unless he is complete and utter shit at commanding his army?"

Less than a quarter of a second passed, and Erk was suddenly on his feet, held up by a rather mean looking dragon. He had two spears at each side, and a fireball glowing above his head. in front of him were two swords, and I just sat calmly by, putting on some gloves Dorcas had picked up for me. "Garnet… Put the mage down….. DOWN!"

Garnet reluctantly obeyed, but Ariana's fireball still was shining above Erk's head. Dorcas just kept cooking. "Weapons away people… Garnet, please show the mage just how much of a dragon you are. I would like to come with you. Ariana, if you would bring your spear, I'm certain you would be all the escort we need… and Sain… Easy on the chili beans…"

Sain had sat back down (and was working on his fourths.) but he looked at me, and slurped up the rest of the strip of meat. "Aye aye, sir!"

I stood, and walked with Erk in front of me, Ariana had her spear in a horrible grip. But Sain could teach her more later. Garnet however, led the way to the crater. "Here we are…" I said slowly as we stood over the crater of blackened earth. "Please, look down in there."

He did so, and promptly hurled his meal into the pit with distaste. "Rather stinky, isn't it? That's the stench of vaporized Pegavern. Also in there are the remains of humans, that were turned into 'fire works' by our friendly neighborhood fire breathing wyvern." Garnet puffed his chest out.

The mage stood up. "…. Bullshit. This was the work of a great collection of Elfire spells. A million of them lit up the night sky. Besides, all dragons were sealed during the scouring."

"That's what you think." I looked at Garnet. 'Please spit on his but and light him up.' The dragon smirked quite convincingly. Erk saw it. "What the hell was that?" He looked at me strangely, perfectly exposing his rump.

Erk suddenly felt something slightly wet hit his behind. He raised eyebrow, then yelped as something EXPLODED on his ass. "YAI! What the hell?!"

Ariana burst out laughing. "Garnet nailed you dude!" she laughed like she was going to burst. "Oh, He SOOOO nailed you!"

I smirked. "Your pants are on fire…" Indeed, they were. The mage was off screaming, yelling "HOT HOT HOT!!!!!"

I held my hand up as the others were ready to go to the camp again. "Into the fort please."

Kent raised his eyebrow as he witnessed a flaming mage run screaming by the camp. Serra looked around. "What the hell was that?"

Dorcas finished his bite first. "I believe that was your 'erky-poo' running in fear."

She jumped up and dashed after him as only a hyper cleric could. VERY QUICKLY. "HEY WAIT! You're not done with your mission!" The small dust clouds curled around themselves and fell to the ground slowly.

Florina sighed. "Great, another woman who falls in love at first sight."

Dorcas nodded. "Sometimes, the fates themselves call these things."

Sain smiled. Then he frowned. "Oh lord…. I just ate beans, didn't I?"

Lyn smirked. "Yeah… you ate six bowls of a bean heavy stew…"

Sain paled as he stood up, and then took off running. "Excuse me…"

Hiiro looked at the troop as Kent suddenly felt it hit him. "Six… bowls of chili beans?" Lyn suddenly realized it too. Florina was already looking for Lyn's perfume. The men were scrambling, even Dorcas, who was just caught up in the moment.

* * *

Natalie pulled the covers up slowly, when suddenly, she felt her house shake a bit, and heard the most awful sound. Something akin to the explosion Garnet had made mixed in with a rather wet popping noise, and then the sound of screeching wagon breaks. A rusty door swung on its hinges next, and then a tribal drum band started playing for a minute. After that, all was silent, until… some sound she couldn't exactly identify, suffice to say it sounded like a gigantic fart. She sighed. "Excuse me…" She then made the mistake of sniffing. She promptly passed out.

* * *

Sain finished bearing down, and sighed. Not a single sound had come out. Not even a stench. He walked back to camp, and shrugged. "I've no idea what just happened, but I had too, then I didn't. It's almost like someone else passed the gas for me…"

* * *

I dropped my hand and sucked the blood off the tip of my finger with a huff. "Lord I hope I didn't just make the King of Bern fart like that…"

Garnet flapped his wings a bit. 'What exactly happened?'

"Displacement blessing. It moves one event somewhere else. For example, I just moved Sain's fart somewhere else, to some other random person." I shuddered. "I just didn't want to smell it."

"Ah…" Ariana said. She gulped nervously as she stood beside Garnet. "Alright… I'm going to develop a 'Soul bind' between the two of you. It's obvious you trust each other completely. That makes this easier. You won't notice much difference, other than knowing when something happens to another of you. This will speed your growth exponentially, Garnet, but it will slow Ariana's. Eventually, you two will balance out, being the same relative ages. I warn you though…. This can be very nasty."

'What do you mean, 'Very nasty', Kai?' Garnet had a worried look in his eye.

"Whenever you get hit by an axe, spear, sword, spell, or anything, the other gets mana burned. For example. If I hit Ariana with a fire spell in the face, you would go blind for about three minutes as your soul recovered from the mana burn. Healing magics don't apply to this though, although you will both be healed if one is healed. You won't have to deal with healing Mana burn."

They nodded. I continued. "This is a VERY basic procedure, something a wyvern rider can do by himself with his wyvern. Very easy, very natural for those with flying mounts. However, since Ariana wears no armor, you might feel a bit naked…."

I phased quickly, ignoring the rest of their questions. 'Don't move.' I ordered them, and looked around. They already had the basis of one formed, from sheer force of will and friendship. A hazy line formed between the two. I grabbed on to both sides of this line and examined it. I spotted extra tendrils trying to find a mate from the other set. Ariana's were blindly calling out to the tendrils of soul emanating from Garnet, and his were shyly trying to find hers. I began to pair them up. This would take a while….

Ariana suddenly found herself remembering things… things that SHE didn't do. She remembered seeing Lyn's fingers, up and down, in and out; hearing the sounds, smelling the scents, seeing the wetness… she blushed furiously. She didn't want to know this!!!!

Garnet was looking at a river, at ARIANA'S face. She had tears running down her face. "He's not human, girl! You can't fall in love with a dragon!!! He can't give you children to love and protect!!!" The image was talking. He felt his head shake. He heard his, well, Ariana's voice. "But he saved my life, he keeps me warm at night, he's so kind to me, he's a true gentleman, he'll carry me across anything I ask him too… And he's not just a baby dragon any more."

I sighed, and came back to my body. "Well, that's that… you're now officially a Wyvern and human pairing." I looked between them.

Garnet's eyes were no longer his eyes. They were different somehow. His eyes were normally red irised, with black slit pupils, and golden whites. His whites were white, and his iris was blue, but he retained the slit. Ariana's brilliant green iris stayed the same, but her Pupil was slit, and a gold rim surrounded her iris. My head kind of went back a bit. "Whoa… that's new."

Ariana looked over at Garnet. And then she spoke in Clear, Precise, utterly perfect draconic. He looked at her, and smiled as though he were simply a man. I was officially freaked out. He responded in a series of growls and Coos, neglecting his telepathy.

Ariana looked over at Kai. "Thank you so MUCH! Sure, this perverted dragon has some things I didn't want to know locked up in his mind… like the fact that the average human male mates for two minutes, and the average female for five to six… Okay, EW! Stop thinking about stuff like that Garnet!!!!"

Garnet nodded. 'I too, thank you. She's quite a firecracker, behind the shy exterior.'

I simply sighed. "By Elimine, What have I done? Bah! We should just get some sleep… and No Touchy! Either of you. Between lord pervert the dragon and your impressionable age, I wouldn't be surprised to find baby quarter dragon, quarter wyvern, and half humans running around tomorrow. So no touchy!"

They nodded, and followed me out of the fort, back to the darkening campsite. Everyone had a nice sleep, but I noticed Erk and Serra were back, though Erk looked distressed.

He glared at me with eyes that would bore into a general's skull effortlessly. "Er… Erk? What is the matter?"

"You were just working Bernian magics in there. Wyvern based magics."

I nodded. "What of it?"

"You are a strategist; those magics are for Wyvern riders alone."

"I've been around."

"You shouldn't know those magics!!!"

I smirked. "I used to be a Bernian Wyvern Rider. I also used to be a mage. I fought with axes, swords, spears… I've done all things possible in this world. And to this day… I have never EVER found a profession that made me happier than being a Strategist."

"But you wear an apprentices seal!"

I winced. "So you've found me out."

"Who was your master?"

"Nergal, the Black Strategist."

Erk's eyebrow rose. "Those who reach Strategist potential are VERY well known. You're a Tactician, just as your master was."

I glared at him with venom in my eyes. "I am a Strategist."

"You are a tactician! I have seen no indication that you are a strategist. Where is your Flare, your smoke, your Savior Grand, your Blessing holy, and most importantly, can you even call a Holy Light?"

"Those… save for Flare… are extremely dangerous."

"So you do not know them?"

I looked him in the eyes. "Elimine, Grant the grand of the soul to the soul of the meek, give the life everlasting unto the meekest servant I see, may it be grand, Savior, for you are the great one who will Sheppard us into the gates of…" I left the last word out. I had no reason to finish it, I hadn't offered a proper sacrifice, and I was totally unprepared to finish the spell.

Erk shuddered. "And Holy light?" he was frustrated that I might know more than him. "Fine, I'll tell it."

"Blessed be the light which doth shine over the world to purify the mistakes of the scouring, the spirits of those fallen and the minds of those living, corrupted by the scouring. Come forth ye spirits of old and grace this land, the dragon of Light doth call my name in rage, for Lo I call his minions to cleanse my…" once again, the last word left out.

"DAMNIT! No, you're wrong!" He frantically flipped through his personal grimore. "AH HA! HERE IT IS! The last word is…" I leapt at him to cover his mouth. Too late.

"Soul."

The ground underneath both I and Erk cracked. I grabbed him by the collar, and yelled "SCATTER!!!!" The scatter was quick, but not quick enough it seemed. The burning claw reached up, and grabbed a hold of Ariana's leg.

"GARNET!!!" she yelled it quite quickly, calling out to her dragon. He was back into the rising maelstrom as the cracking ground belched flame and fury. Flaming claws continued to reach out, grasping at Erk and me as I dragged him along. I turned and threw him forward, just outside of the cracked circle of earth. The ground started to buckle as I turned back to help the dragon and his mistress.

Garnet was roaring in fury as he bit at the flaming hand. Ariana was holding onto his body for dear life as she felt her start leg become a blackened lump of flesh. But for some reason, neither of them could smell burning flesh. It was almost like it was merely accelerating something that was bound to happen. I jumped in, and grabbed at the burning hand, and cutting at it with my Katar. (I always had it with me, under one of my many robes.) I finally cut through the limb, but, I was also now falling into the pit of fire and stone. Before I closed my eyes to accept my fate and apologize to the people who were counting on me, I noticed that her leg was no longer black, a single slice of it flying into the air within the massive updraft. Red colored scales had taken their place.

* * *

Roland frantically shook Elimine. "DAMNIT! ELIMINE, WAKE UP!" her fluttering eyelids were glowing brightly as someone somewhere finished a Grand prayer. This usually cost the invoker his life. But if it was botched up… It would turn on the casters.

* * *

I fell deeper, but I heard a rushing wind. Ariana sat on the back of Garnet, matching my speed, and then beating me as they flew to rescue me. "GET OUT!" I yelled in a blind panic.

"NO!" Garnet… Wait, that wasn't telepathy! My eyebrow shot up like it was attached to some fireworks. Ariana's hand was on my shoulder, and I was on the dragon's back as I heard the screaming sound of the maelstrom begin to close. "WE HAVE TO GET OUT NOW!!!"

Garnet's wings flapped harshly as he caught the massive updraft that was this crater. He wove between the claws of flame as massive pillars of magma rose towards the sky at nearly triple our speed. My hands were gripped on Ariana's waist as though I were an infant. The maelstrom intensified still.

Garnet screamed in fury as he felt the final pillar of magma reach for us, singing the underside of his wings as the hot air caught us. 10 foot between us and the surface, well outside of the range of the blessing's might. The pillar of flame was only twenty five feet or so behind us. All three of us screamed.

* * *

Elimine jerked up. "OH MY ME!"

Roland sighed. "What did they cast?!"

"The curse of Tiamat… they made me unleash it… on themselves!"

"Only three people know that blessing! Athos, Nergal, and… KAI!"

She screamed in fury as she looked down at the world, something that Roland could not do. Her eyes were drawn to something that seemed to happen in slow motion.

* * *

We had three seconds until we were dead. Two seconds…

Erk scuttled backwards as he watched what HE had just unleashed. Lyn and Florina were staring in awe, though the whole group could feel the pressure I felt. Kent and Sain held Hiiro back from the inferno, and Dorcas… well, Dorcas held out a weenie near it, and watched it Insta-crisp… then explode. Wil did the same to a marshmallow. Serra was checking on Erk.

One second. Ariana and I could have jumped clear of the pillar by now. But…

Garnet swooped out of the way, even as the pillar burst right behind him, catching his tail tip on fire. I and Ariana dove off and panted from all the adrenaline. Garnet howled in a blind panic as he feverishly blew his tail out. He then began to suck on it.

The fire pillars receded as quickly as they had came, finding no enemies to slay within it's fury. I panted slowly.

The whole of the camp watched as the magma became rock in the crater it had made… and then looked as if nothing had happened. Erk looked at me with panic written across his face. I just sighed, and closed my eyes. I fell asleep rather quickly.

* * *

Morning came. I woke with a slow stir, and found the camp already packed. Garnet and Ariana woke with me. Lyn and Florina were tying down the last of the wagon's cover, while Kent and Sain saddled the horses. Wil and Dorcas were setting up the yoke for the oxen. Serra was busy fussing with Florina's mount, and Erk was looking at some maps. Damn mage.

"Alright, Florina, I think that's got it… okay, who wants to risk Kai's wrath?" everyone else suddenly slowed down. "Don't worry, we're awake."

They all smiled. "Alright, let's get a move on. We've lost what, three days here now?" I sighed, and got on my small horse, patting his flank. Garnet started to move out first.

We were barely 20 foot away when the joking started. "I wonder what happens when we reach Lycia."

Sain opened his mouth. "I myself need some Spiritual healing. A knight is not all powerful; we do need our soft beds and warm companions from time to time!"

Wil laughed. "Aye, I'm sure even the mage will agree to that!"

Lyn smirked. "Wil will always agree to that, you smooth talker!"

Dorcas smirked. "Wil will do anything to get a nice warm bed!"

Serra smirked. "Awww, he's always hard on his luck?"

Kent smirked as well. Man this was getting Sardonic. "Maybe not his luck, but he's always hard on."

Erk sighed, his normally grim demeanor blackening our mood. "Well then, If you're all done being dipshits, would someone mind telling what in the blue monkey hell went on last night?!"

I sighed. "Fine, you stupid mage. You finished a corrupted version of the Holy Light incantation. It's called the "Curse of Tiamat.""

"Curse of Tiamat?"

"Yes."

"So it's what?"

"A curse."

"And who's Tiamat?"

"A rather Evil Dragon."

"And how was the curse laid?"

I was beginning to get aggravated. "By a Nasty Dragon."

"How?"

"Well, with Magic and words, supposedly. Isn't that how MOST curses are laid?"

The group snickered. "Then explain how this one was laid."

"GAH! I didn't want too! Fine, you little peck-Erk head, I'll explain it. Vaguely. This is the jist of it. Two dragons gave birth to the rest of dragon kind. They eventually became known as the gods of dragons, Bahamut, and Tiamat. Bahamut was with the good guys. His children eventually became Wyverns. Her line was dragons. They got mad, and attacked humans. Elimine stopped them. Tiamat got pissed, and cursed the earth, any prayer that got screwed up by any 'tacticians' which were the main reason for her demise, would result in the earth it's self swallowing their group."

"So it's a curse."

I rolled my eyes. "Basically."

"And I caused it?"

"You didn't cause it, you invoked it."

"So my notes are wrong."

"Basically."

"Could you teach it to me?"

"Vaguely."

Erk raised an eyebrow. He wasn't quite aware that I was ignoring him now. "What? That's not an answer!"

"Basically."

"You're not even listening to me!"

"Exactly."

"See? You're not listening! You… wait… DAMNIT!"

I grinned as the group laughed and the mage fumed. I whistled merrily to myself. I could say with certainty, life was never boring around Lyndis Caelin.

* * *

About four hours later of cheerful banter, Kent decided to break the most recent silence. In a deep booming bass, he sang out "On the road again…"

Wil immediately gagged. "Good lord man! Did you swallow a frog?!"

Sain leapt to his friend's defense. "What? You must be tone deaf. That was beautiful! Best singer in the Caelin Canton I would say!"

Lyn laughed. "Ha! I think Wil IS tone deaf. That was hot!"

Ariana snickered. "Yeah, sounded kind of like Garnet purring."

The dragon just nodded his head, and Serra spoke up. "That was very nice… Too bad I'm a cleric!"

"You're kidding me right?" I said as I looked back at her, working my gloves around on my hand a bit.

Erk sighed. "No, she's not. She's as lusty as a barfly!"

"Eh, she couldn't be more of a Lust Bug than Sain."

"I'll have you know I am VERY calm right now!"

"Ariana. Naked. Wet."

TING!

Kent smirked. Ariana just about screamed in embarrassment. "GOD! Kai! You pervert!"

Sain was going blue in the face. "LOW! BLOW!" his voice was steadily getting higher. He tumbled off his horse in pain, and I raised my eyebrow, and then I remembered. He was, suffice it to say, endowed more than any man should ever be. "OOPS!"

"Get his Greaves off! I'm such a moron!"

* * *

Shortly after…

We setup the campfire for the midday lunch. "I'm so sorry Sain…"

His voice was hoarse. "It's… okay…" he paled a bit more as he moved a little.

Ariana finally stopped laughing. "So… Sain… what part about that got you going?"

"All or nothing." was all he said.

The males who heard that all understood instantly. The translation goes something like this. "That normally, in little pieces would not arouse me, but the thought of You, Naked, and wet, in any way, is 'ting' worthy." Kent was laughing at Ariana's puzzled expression. I leaned over and explained to Lyn, who cracked up.

Even Sain was laughing. Just as I stopped to bend over from laughing so hard…

"ARGH!" Sain screamed as the arrow tip (Aimed for my head.) buried up into his thigh bone. "GODDESS DAMNIT! AHH!"

"SHIT! GET READY!"

The battle was joined less than an instant later. This wasn't defense of a fort, this was defense of a wounded comrade. Something far more important. "Elimine bless us…" I said as I began to phase.

I projected onto Lyn. The trees surrounding us provided wonderful cover, but not enough really. I saw the axe flash, and guided her arm, and smiled smugly as I felt another hand on mine. I could almost see a man in ancient sword master garb. His hand was also guiding her hand. 'Mani.' I said from my ether state. He merely nodded. 'Go.'

I phased to Kent. Kent was looking in shock as his friend's wound. 'DAMNIT KENT! Snap out of it! HOP TO IT SOLDIER!' He was up as quick as anything. His sword whirled around. I cleaved clean through a young brigand whose eyes seethed with the thought of an easy kill. Suddenly, his eyes looked a bit strange… deflated almost as it looked like he tried to cry. Then half of his face fell away from his body. I nearly gagged on bile at that point, which was horrible. But Kent's eyes… Twin infernos raged behind them, like he was in a pure blood lusting rage.

I quickly shifted as Florina took to the skies, leaving Ariana to fumble with a book as Garnet's tail slapped an arrow from the air. I tied to Florina, and got a good look. 'Careful, there are at least 2 archers, maybe more…' She nodded. "I know. Show me a target, commander."

I glanced around, and spied an archer's bow…. It was aiming at Florina. 'Evasive action and close the distance. Take him down.' I highlighted him in red. His arrow took on a red glow as well as it started to fly through the air. I felt a bit dizzy as I flipped to the side with Florina. 'HELLO! Nice trick… I think you have it up here…'

I shifted to Wil. 'Wil did you…' his arrow was already buried in the first archer's hand, making the man scream as two more arrows were already streaking his way. Wil's eyes were looking… scared. He was shooting blind almost. He had already gotten the fourth arrow off, and had his fifth lined up. 'WIL! Stop shooting him…'

The second arrow Wil had shot broke through the bow of his foe and slammed deep into the eye of his opponent. The third was just behind it, and robin hooded it. I wondered where that phrase had come from. But the fourth slammed into the man's stomach, nearly lifting him off the ground, even as the fifth split his solar plexus apart. Wil heaved with the effort as his eyes slowly drifted away from nearly bleeding.

'You okay Wil?' He was panting. 'I was gonna die…. I was gonna die!' I could hear his thoughts. He was stuck in a loop of sorts. He shook himself visibly. He took a deep breath. The felt his body for arrows… "I'm... ALIVE! HA HA!"

Erk's fire spell hammered the brigand who was jumping out to end Wil's life. Wil jerked quickly. "Right sorry. Won't happen again. I panicked!"

The snobby mage snorted. "Right. Better not, I won't save your ass again, now finish him off will you?"

I mentally stuck my tongue out at his back and shifted focus. Dorcas was spinning his throwing axe with its cloth tied tight from his left hand, and brandishing his steel axe with his right. He smirked. 'Now.' I said to him. It was merely a flash of movement…

Thankfully, I could see every action in slow motion of sorts. His throwing axe whipped out towards the first brigand, spiraling away towards his face as Dorcas leapt into the air, his own steel axe coming down in a crescent moon slash. The instant his throwing axe cleaved into the first brigand's face with a dull thump, his right handed axe had made a melon out of seconds' head. He jerked back on the cloth tied to his throwing axe as he pulled his own axe free. A second later, he had his throwing axe at the ready again, and had flung the blood from his own axe. The men both fell at the same time.

I shifted again, this time focusing on Ariana and Garnet. Ariana was fumbling with her spell book, and tripping over words as a Brigand leapt at her. Garnet was quicker. Garnet's fangs ripped through the man's arm's flesh, and bit into his chest, and I could almost feel the liquid being pumped into his bloodstream. I winced as Garnet tossed it away, the now lifeless corpse slamming into another man. Unfortunately, Ariana had just finished reading an actual incantation correctly. "Eldaris Elfanim Infernus!" I somewhat understood the incantation as something else. Elder Anima Inferno.

I just realized that I had given her an Elfire spell book as a starting tome. I slapped myself in the head as I watched it literally hammer into the man's corpse, punching a hole through it from the sheer FORCE of the wolf's blood used to power the magic. As I watched the spell develop, I realized that this particular one was a White Wolf's blood. The sizzling of the corpse began to trigger Garnet's venom, which promptly made the fallen man begin to explode. The unfortunate part was when the fireball slammed through the man beneath the corpse's ether, ignoring his body as it sought the ground. It found it, and rose up in the inferno it was meant to. The resulting forces compressed the still living man between the force of the corpse's explosion, and the force of the Elfire spell. Needless to say, the man popped like an overripe watermelon.

I shifted to Hiiro, and I felt him walking alongside Kent, their swords looking like mirrors of each other, though one was big and powerful, the other light and sharp. Where Kent's blade left ribbons of blood slowly falling to the earth in the air, Hiiro's coated the ground with showers of red liquid. I saw Kent on his horse, slashing downward into one man's head, while Hiiro leapt into the air, and came down with such speed even I had trouble following it. Whereas Kent's foe's head came in two (Then was promptly relieved of one of its halves as the red armored cavalier removed his blade…), Hiiro's merely fell into two pieces, and he readied his blade again with a sidelong flourish. I just raised my eyebrow. We had pushed the sides back, and I could vaguely see a shape in the sky throw another shape down.

The archer screamed as he plunged to the ground with a hole in his lung. He didn't know what was a scarier thought: Falling to his death, or dying while falling…

Bug snarled as he heard the last of his men scream in their death throws. Then he looked up, and realized it was an archer falling from the sky. 'Must be an Arrow storm.' He vaguely thought.

CRUNCH! The archer slammed into Bug with enough force to cause both of their heads to explode from the impact. The seasoned brigand's body slowly collapsed forward as it tried to support the other body too. Alas, it did not avail, and fell forward onto it's face, or lack their of, really.

I Snickered as I saw this happen. That was a FUNNY way to die. "HA! You son of a bitch, you just got SMACKED!" I suddenly realized I was back in my body. The vaguely red tinted air hovered around the makeshift camp site. Lyn was leaning against a tree, using a piece of silk to clean her blade, amazed at how… pleased it felt. Her sword did ring a little, but I didn't think much of it. Though I did hear a purr from her general direction.

Sain was blue and red in the face as he whispered to Serra. I heard what he said. "It… nicked something else, Serra." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. I sighed, and walked over, leaning over to her. "He's rather… well endowed. That's why the 'Ting' was so loud, and well… Yeah, I think it scraped it."

Her cheeks went flame red. "Good gods!" She helped him limp over to a tree, and hid them behind it. "Show me where it hurts…"

I went and checked on Kent. "Kent, turn off the battle lust friend, I think they're all dead!" His eyes seem to stop smoldering and he blinked. "My apologies, sir. I did not mean to do that."

Hiiro was going around, collecting gold pieces from the corpses. "Eh, don't worry with it dude. Shit happens; your friend probably got shot in the dick. I would have gone nutso too."

I laughed as I walked over to Dorcas, who was using a wet rag to wash the blood and guts and bone off of Ariana's face. She was almost hyperventilating. "That was so cool! Then again, is Sain alright?" Dorcas just smiled. "He'll be fine, Kiddo. You'll see. He's a lot tougher than he lets on. I'm sure the kid has seen his share of troubles."

"Well, it doesn't really matter. I mean, he's what, 20 something? Here I am, 14 years old, Lusting after some brave knight in green armor with muscles and a stomach that looks like a washboard…" She sighed lightly. Dorcas just grinned. I could tell those two would be friends. Garnet just rolled his eyes. 'Well, it doesn't matter to me, just so long as he passes MY inspection.'

I snickered, and checked up on Florina, who was giving her Pegasus some oats. "Nice job today, Avion."

"Nice name for a Pegasus, Florina."

"OH! Kai! I didn't see you there! Heh… yeah, He's been my mount for as long as I can remember. The girls at the academy used to call him "Avion the unflyable." They couldn't teach him how to fly. He's got a crippled wing, see? They couldn't figure out how to counter it. He's heavy on the right side, because of the wing. But, I'm left handed. And I'm so light; he doesn't really notice the weight difference. He does pull right a bit in the air, but if you keep a little pressure on his right side, he compensates." I looked at the poor horse, and did indeed notice the lump in his wing bone.

"Ah, I see. Well, it's a good thing you two are so in synch. But I'd be extra careful around arrows. If one were to knick his good wing, you're going to go down, HARD."

"Yeah, I know. They told me to get another mount, but, how can I resist those eyes?!" She cooed and hugged her horse.

"GODS ALIVE! STOP!!!!"

Sain dove out from behind the tree, struggling with his pants as Serra blinked slowly. "What?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What in the blue blazes?"

Sain panted slowly as he tightened his pantaloon's string. "Keep that… cleric away from me!"

"What did I do?" Serra had a genuinely puzzled look on her face. I too, was puzzled. Kent spoke up. "When you were working on him, did you happen to… impact him?"

"Well yes, it wasn't exactly something I could heal with my staff or prayers. It was like, I don't know, bent? So I tried to fix it!"

I paled, as did Dorcas. Sain just bent over and breathed harshly. Kent winced heavily, and Wil doubled over. Hiiro was about the only one unaffected. (Under affected seems more appropriate.)

Hiiro sighed heavily. "Fine fine, I'll explain it to her…" he walked over to Serra and grabbed her by the arm. Erk walked up with a raised eyebrow. He saw we, the males of the group, in obvious empathetic pain (And one in real pain.) "What is going on? Did Florina kick you all in the nuts?" We shook our heads. "Serra, bend, backwards, Sain."

Erk immediately fainted.

Hiiro sighed. "Look, A… well, for lack of a more proper term, Wang-chung is always chung, not chang, got it? If it is bent like that NATURALLY, it doesn't bend the other way."

"What's a Wang?" Hiiro's face went blank.

"A dick?"

"What?"

"Wanker?"

"Huh? What're you talking about?"

"A PENIS! Good GOD girl!"

"Ohhhh… so what's a chung?"

"The angle at which the penis bends." He sighed. God this girl didn't know SHIT about male anatomy.

"So his 'Wang Chung' was Chang?"

"No, his Wang chung was properly chung-ed, and you Chang-ed it by bending it the other way."

"So a chang is good?"

"No, it's bad."

"Wait, I'm confused…"

"ARGH! You bent his penis the wrong way, things like that don't bend like that! It's a 'hard on' for a reason!"

"Did I hurt him?"

"Okay, let me put it like this… Ever had a purple nurple?"

She nodded. "Well, yeah. But a purple nurple is a drink…"

Hiiro looked blankly at her. "A nipple twister?"

"Huh?"

He grabbed her nipple and twisted harshly, pulling out. "That's a real purple nurple!"

Her eyes went from pink to purple. She tackled him. "COME HERE DAMNIT!"

"AHH! SHIT! HELP!!!!"

I ran up to the scene and pulled a rather feisty Serra away from Hiiro, who was trying to pull his pants back up. "Goddess help us!"

I looked at her purple eyes. "DAMNIT! Stop teasing me, all you damn men!" She nearly broke free. I grabbed her up closely. "FLORINA! I NEED SOME HELP!!!!"

Florina dashed in, nearly tripping over Hiiro. "What's going on?"

"Shut up and kiss her!" Hiiro was tying his pants back up and holding his heart, looking at her with scared eyes. Florina looked at Serra, and how she was fighting. "OHHHH!!!! What did you do, Hiiro?"

"She didn't know what a purple nurple was, I was trying to explain what she did to Sain, and somehow, we went over to 'purple nurples'. Don't ask, it was just weird."

Florina sighed, and grabbed Serra by the arm. By this time Sain had come to see what was going on. Dorcas as looking through a few trees at the scene. Wil was looking this way after he stopped polishing his bow for a second. Garnet was looking at it with a lazy eye.

The world stood still. Florina grabbed Serra by the shirt, and bent her backwards in a kiss, and every guy could tell, THAT had tongue in it. The world tilted a little bit, and then fell off its axis. I felt my nose start to bleed. There was a soft ting from Kent's direction, the rustle of chain mail from Hiiro and Wil's, mine was just a soft ruffling of cloth. Nothing from Sain's direction. We looked over at him as the two girls continued to make out, the purple slowly fading from Serra's eyes. He had his eyes squeezed shut and his ears plugged. That didn't help as he opened his eyes.

TING!!!!!!!!

We immediately jumped over at him, and popped the hinges on his greaves. "CALM DOWN!"

Florina stopped kissing Serra, and pulled away, and the Cleric blinked slowly. She exhaled slowly. "What happened Florina?"

"You're Schizophrenic. Or whatever. The point is, you have multiple yous running around in your head." Erk walked into the clearing and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell did I miss this time?"

Florina smirked. "Serra and I just got done putting our clothes back on."

Erk sighed, and rubbed his head. "Cool beans…" he said, and sat down on the log beside Dorcas, who just went back to stirring the stew, and wiped the slight nose bleed away.

Serra scratched her head. "I just blanked out, all I know, is that Hiiro started to give me a 'purple nurple' as he called it, and all of a sudden, everything went black, and then I woke up, with Florina breathing hard over me." She shrugged, and then said "Oh well, I guess I'll go get some water."

Florina came over and smirked. "She's got multiple personalities, I think. One's a raving sex-hound, and the other is a hyper active teenager. Let's hope she doesn't have any more. Oh yeah, and she's Masochistic, from the way she was trying to bite my tongue. She mostly got her own though."

I sighed. "God, Florina, how do you know all that from one kiss?"

She looked at me. "Don't get me wrong here, I'd gladly screw your brains out if you really needed it, but I've eaten a muffin before." She stopped as Wil gave her the eyes of the pervert, boring through her breast plate. She sighed. "Only if you needed it in the sense that Serra just needed it." Wil's countenance quickly drooped and he stumbled off towards the river.

The nose bleeds redoubled, and Florina walked away. Hiiro's eyes were drilling holes in her but as she swung her hips while she walked away. "My Goddess!" he said slowly.

"Whoa Hiiro, calm down boy… Did you not hear her? She beats around the bush…" That was me.

"What?" Hiiro raised an eyebrow.

Garnet sighed, and we heard him mentally yell, 'SHE'S A DYKE YOU DUMB ASS!'

Hiiro sighed, and went over to the log with Erk and Dorcas. The three guys took a little bit of cotton, and shoved it up their noses, and sighed. "WOMEN!" they said in unison.

Lyn and Ariana were holding onto each other, laughing like a pack of hyenas. "OH MY GODDESS! SOOOOO FUNNY! HA HA HA!!!!"

I and Kent took care of Sain. Wil dashed by us a second later (Turning my hair into a ball of fuzz sitting on my head, in the process.) A red Eyed Serra came by, brandishing her staff like a war axe. "GET BACK HERE YOU PERVERT!" She yelled. I looked, and saw Wil, Naked as a jay bird. I began to cry.

Those two moving moons would never leave my mind again.

* * *

AHHHHHHH!!!! Why did I have to go and make this one so funny? I thought it was. Though, the jokes are kinda elaborate, and more of a 'lockjaw' type humor. Kinda dry humor, like a bad prank. A really bad, really used, really dumb prank. I always hated this chapter. It always felt like a kind of space taker.

Oh well, Enjoy thoughts of a Sex crazed Serra plaguing your thoughts tonight. And Florina? Well, she's just more or less, a Tease in my way of thinking… then again, I like the shy nerdy looking girls… GOD, I need to stop drooling about the hot librarian. Xx

Ciao!


	9. Support Chapter 3: Mystic Mayhem!

I'm not releasing five until I get six done. I just don't feel like it. So NYEH! Eat it baby!

Fire Emblem Redux: Dragon's Blood

Support Chapter: Mystic Mayhem!

* * *

We camped just outside of the Araphen border. One, Sain was whining, two, I was hurting, especially my nose, and three, Serra was more annoying than ever.

"So." Sain was sitting on a log beside Kent and Ariana. Lyn sat on the other side of Kent. I wanted to scream at them, but refrained, by paying attention to Sain. "That's why it is imperative that I not enter the Lycian nations with such an… injury."

"Ah. You want US to be punished for YOU breaking your dick at the first thought of Ariana, and with an excuse like that?"

"It's not exactly an excuse. A lot of women in Lycia DO want him. Dead, and mounted on their wall." Kent nodded sagely as he sat beside Lyn. It was beginning to bug me. They were just sitting there, not… doing anything, but I could see the spark and the tension. It was annoying.

Wil ventured to open his mouth between bites of broiled antellius. "Well, an injury like that is never fun anyway. I'm surprised he's still mobile!"

Serra giggled ferociously, and was blue eyed at the moment. We had quickly learned her moods. Happy and uncontrollably hyper was blue. This meant danger. She HARDLY EVER shut up anyway… now she just talked fast WITH that. "Well now, that's a shame, I was looking forward to a nice warm bed! Oh, with a nice fluffy quilt, and maybe a feather pillow, OH! NO! Goose down! Yes goose down and tiger hide, ahh, the life of a queen, that's what I want. One day I will be queen of Ostia, did you know that? I'ma be so lovely! Yes yes, so lo-"

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP?" Hiiro sighed. "Christ almighty woman, you bounce around more than a damn bouncing enchantment!" He and Florina sighed in unison. Despite his dejectedness by being told Florina was a dyke (Which in fact, she wasn't. Somehow, I just got that vibe.) Florina was the next to break the sounds of quietness.

"Well, you know, every girl has the right to dream. When I was a girl, I always dreamed of being just like my sisters. Now though, I find that a bit of an odd thought…"

"Why's that, Florina?" Dorcas was pouring her another bowl. He was like, the father figure of the group or something. Ariana was always talking to him, Sain, or Garnet. No-one except those three had noticed the difference in her eyes. Dorcas had merely accepted it, while Sain had proceeded to walk into the woods and howl. Garnet's scales were coming in fuller now. His growth had speed exponentially. I continued to listen to the conversations.

"Well because! If you guys think I'm dyke, you've never met my sisters. Trust me, if you want 'queer as a magic-man' I'm sure you'll find it in those two."

Ariana giggled. "How do you know, Florina?" Garnet looked at her as she apparently thought something nasty. She just looked back and stuck out her tongue with a giggle.

"Simple. I walked in on them once. Wow, never heard such racket, and they don't sweat that hard when they're fighting."

I spoke next, leaving the Wyvern Sister and her Wyvern to talk. Of course, them talking was merely Ariana laughing, Garnet purring or growling, occasionally making a rapid Hiccupping sound, which he only recently started doing. "Let me guess, they forced you to join them?"

"Best day of my short life."

Hiiro's nose burst. Twin cotton balls went flying and smacked Wil in the face, fresh flowing blood spilling onto his dark blue chain mail. Wil fell backwards from the sheer force of the blow, and sent his food bowl (Filled with scalding hot Broiled antellius soup) flying backwards onto one of the few patches of fur left on Garnet. Garnet of course, was in pain from this, being that his fur was not a pleasant thing to dry, and his developing scales were tender. He swung his tail in anger, and tripped SOMEONE behind him, and he was around in a flash, Ariana had a small fireball at the ready, even though it was blood-borne.

The rest of us reacted slower. My katar were drawn and I was above the intruder in a flash. Serra's eyes went from blue to pink, and her staff was ready to brandish. Erk had his book open, and held his fingers ready to collect the blood. Kent and Sain held their weapons at the ready. Lyn had her Sword ready and I could see Mani ready to assist. Dorcas and Hiiro were the second slowest to get ready. The steel blade was held ready for a good hard blow, and Dorcas was ready to brandish either axe. Wil was still trying to recover.

"Hi." The blue robed thief said. "Nice to meet you!"

"Hi." I said, my katar were at his throat, bringing a bit of blood. "Any last words?"

"Sure. Hallo the Camp?"

"Got any weapons, tomes, staves?"

"Fresh out I'm afraid."

"Then I guess your robes will do just fine. Strip him!"

I got off of him, and his eyes went wide as about five weapons flashed. His clothes simply dissolved it seemed. He screamed like a little girl. Then he coughed. "I thought you were gonna kill me!"

We laughed. Ariana looked at his loin-cloth slowly. "Should that go too?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I'll take care of him. You guys go back to eating. Please ignore any sounds you might hear too…"

Ariana's eyes went wide, and she nodded. "I guess Serra is on call then."

Sain too, understood, and left us to be. Garnet was the next to go, but only after looking at me harshly. It almost felt like he was saying 'don't kill him' to me. He did growl in three different tones, as he did. I raised my eyebrow. The rest of the group slowly went back to the campfire. I grabbed the intruder up by the scruff of his neck, and dragged him behind a tree. Immediately, he screamed harshly.

"Shut up." I said, and stabbed a katar beside his neck, letting a trickle of blood begin. It was enough to hurt and bleed, but not enough to wound him. "You will answer what I ask, are we clear?"

"Yes."

"Good. Who are you?"

"Mathew. Gentleman thief."

"Who do you work for?"

"No one!"

"LIAR!" I stabbed the other katar in the tree just above his ear. He began to piss; thankfully, he was wearing only his loin-cloth. "GARNET!" I yelled.

The dragon was there in a flash. 'Yes?' he said as he arrived. He glared at the thief and wrinkled his nose.

"Would you do me a favor? Mind rape this little shit. He won't talk. Or better yet, we can turn him around and let you test a few theories on his back side."

Garnet looked at me, and growled, putting up a façade. I could hear him thinking to me slowly. 'Sooo… you just want me to scare him, or do you want me to actually Mind-rape him?'

"Theories is it?" I ripped my Katar out of the tree, and kicked him down to the ground, being sure to get his face in some of the liquid he had just released. 'You can actually do that? Damn. You and I need to hang out more, Garnet.' Garnet bundled up a claw, and put it right on the intruder's backside, and then looked at me with a smirk. 'Ever seen a man suddenly think he was a chicken?' Matthew screamed like a little girl. It was horrifying, and yet funny. Garnet was smiling. "OH GODS NO! I'LL TALK!!!!"

I picked him up, and slammed him face first against the tree, where Garnet took my place. The dragon played along with the story. He placed his claws in the tree beside his prey's head, and breathed heavily on his back, letting a little accelerant dribble down his toy's back. "Then who do you work for?"

"NO ONE! I'm not lying!"

I nodded at Garnet, who placed his tail on the kid's but. He was crying now, fearing for his life in all honesty. "Wonder if your ass will be accommodating to three foot of dragon?"

"I swear to Elimine, I'm not lying, I'm not lying!"

"Bullshit. You work for a Lycian nation. I can see it in your face."

He had something to protect, that was for-sure. But he wasn't going to talk. His voice was low and I hear him mutter something. Garnet looked at me. "What was that?"

He muttered it again. 'Ostia.' Garnet relayed it to me. He got down off the tree, and I replaced him, my Katar in the small of his back. "Okay then. Why are you here?"

"Stealing things!"

"Like information?"

"LOOK! All I know is that Two Lycian Knights headed north a few months ago. I'm supposed to find out what's going on!"

"Looks like you found them."

"What?"

Kent and Sain stood nearby, and smirked, and I splashed him with a little water from my canteen. "You stupid Idiot." I sighed, and put my Katar away. "Here I am, sitting with my comrades, and you come up and pull the DUMBEST thief move of the century. You try to rob an armored and well armed band of mercenaries."

Mathew turned around slowly and stared me in the face. "Look, there was an Assassin next to a Noble-lady. What am I supposed to do?"

Sain and Kent looked at me. "… At a Time, I did work for House Ostia as an Assassin, yes… I've done many things." I patted myself on the back. Nice cover-up.

"So what am I supposed to do? I can't be a Gentleman Thief-" I input my name for him there. "Spy, but continue."

He sighed. "If I let an assassin kill a Noble lady."

"I'm not an assassin anymore. I'm a strategist. She carries a Blood-bind Amulet you dolt, do you really think I'm going to let her die?"

"Well, you don't look like a Tactician…"

I sighed, and smacked him in the face. "Garnet, take him to the nearest river and wash him off. I think he nearly shit himself once there…" Garnet flipped his tail in answer. I winced. "… Take my shoes too." I stepped out of them and nodded to him. "And do be careful. He's got A LOT of things to do to make up for this fiasco. I could be eating."

And so I went back to the campfire. No sooner had the cavaliers and I sat down when…

"YOU were an Assassin?" Ariana was the one to blurt it out.

I sighed. The rest of the group was looking at me quietly. "Fine. I suppose I can tell you a bit about myself…" I put my stew back down. "I was born to Sonia and Nergal, just about fifteen or so years ago. My Father, Nergal, always looked down on me, thinking of me as a Failure. However, my Mother, Sonia, was sent elsewhere rather quickly, and early, in my life. She herself always despised me as though I was a filthy mistake."

"My father insisted that I learn every art of combat known to man. At five, I was a proficient axman. My father trained me from the moment I could lift a rock. Over the years, I became proficient in all close combat weapons. When I was seven, I was taught my first spells. At nine, I had mastered the Fimbutelvir. At thirteen I was given away to the Highest Bidder as a Mercenary. At fourteen, I ran away from home, and became an Assassin for about three months, with House Ostia. I left when I was captured by Bernian Soldiers, and I was put into a Wyvern Rider's care. I learned quite a bit about wyverns during that time. Two months later, I fled again, after my foster Mother decided I was too much of a burden."

"About two months ago, I was found by Lyn." I was happy with the short summary of my life. Erk wasn't.

"I thought your father trained you as a Strategist?"

"Never said he did. I said he taught me. I learned those from him, and He threatened me with mercy from time to time. I've been the victim of many a weapon, and many a spell."

Florina spoke next. "And I thought having gay sisters was bad."

"Indeed." I said, and the group went back to being quiet. "So what happens if an Ostian Agent finds you?" Kent asked this one.

"We have an Ostian Cleric here, and that Thief knew I was an assassin, though not by trade. I'm thought dead."

Mathew came back into camp with Garnet at that time. He was wet and shivering. "Give the kid some clothes, will you Dorcas?"

Dorcas nodded, and tossed him a spare set of robes I had in the wagon. He hadn't said a word to me yet. I shrugged it off. Mathew quickly dressed. "So, when did Mark learn to be a Strategist?"

My spoon fell from my hand. It started to shake a little, and I grabbed it, and nearly doubled over. "I'm not Mark." I looked over at him. "My name is Kai. Mark's gone… he's been gone a VERY long time."

* * *

Elimine looked at the crystallized figure within the amulet. She sighed. "Why didn't he do it right?" Roland sat down beside her.

"We both know Mark wasn't the one who could fight Nergal this time… Something happened and Nergal changed. Someone screwed with our world, Elimine."

She sighed, and hugged the crystal tightly. She could feel the soul inside trying to understand what was going on. The Thirteen year old within wanted to bust out and claim HIS body, HIS life back. All he remembered was seeing Nergal's face, and then his life was snatched away. And here he was, watching this drama fold out, and someone parade around in his body. He could hear Elimine speak again.

"But why did we get HIM?"

"You mean Kai? He was the only one who needed it the most, if I remember. I remember you asking that Gatekeeper for someone…."

"Someone strong and brave. Someone smart. Someone who could carry the world through this Crisis. Instead we get a KID who demands we change history it's self. We only get one…. Bull…"

Roland sighed. "I know it's not right. It's unfair. We get him. He demands what he does and then says "I'll fix Nergal like he's never been fixed before." Who does this kid think he is?"

"A hand-picked paladin from another world." Elimine sighed. "I'm so sorry Mark…"

"And what about that other one?"

"You mean Nergal's Shadow?"

"Yeah, this 'Felix' person… what're we going to do about him?"

"I don't know…. As soon as he appeared, everything changed."

"How did he get here anyway?"

"Right now, I'm a Goddess, and I've got the Fate of the world in the hands of someone who isn't even supposed to exist…"

* * *

I looked at the camp-fire as everyone else fell asleep. My eyes strayed to Hiiro, and then to Ariana. "What is Felix up too, back home?" I asked to no-one in particular. I sighed, and walked to my bed-roll. I laid down, and looked at the stars. "Wait for me… I'll come home soon. And then I will rip your throat out, you bastard."

* * *

Nergal read over the letter again. 'Went crazy'… 'Ripped a man apart' … 'Had to be terminated.'

Felix put his hand on Nergal's shoulder. His death cold voice still chilled Nergal to the bone. "Don't worry. It's hard to find the Proper balance. It's very unlikely that we will for a few years, at least. But we know that the First Failure is still alive. Perhaps that was the proper recipe, 'Black Strategist'."

Nergal snorted. "Impossible. And even if it was… Mark was a complete failure. Too compassionate."

"That's because of how you mixed his mother!"

"Sonia? No, she was perfect…"

"Two perfects often create an Imperfect."

"Then what should I do?"

"Give me the vilest quintessence you possess… Sonia will be a distant memory when you allow me to make you the perfect factory."

"Felix… Fine. For two years you have been my most trusted advisor. Sixteen years ago, you were the one who told me how to become immortal… I suppose… I suppose that I can allow you this."

Felix's slit eyes glimmered from the shadows, and the clawed had taken hold of the vials. "Good… this will be a nice start. Get the other morphs to bring more. I want the sickest and most twisted individuals this pathetic world has to offer." The swish of a cloak, and he, as well as the brooding darkness that always surrounded him, walked away.

The candles slowly flared into life, and Nergal breathed easily. "Elimine… who is that man?"

The cloak split in two, and Felix stood in front of the table, but not before cutting four morphs down with no effort. He smiled. He ripped the one on the table asunder, and licked the blood from his clawed hand. "Come forth, Madam Akasha, my master. Your master gave you a mission, and I cannot afford to botch it. I will bring YOU into this world, as well as the perfect breeder for Nergal. We will have the perfect anti-tactician soon…"

The blackness receded as a magic glow took its place, illuminating the deformed Manakete slowly. The eerie laugh echoed through the room.

* * *

Ahh, The sub-plot grows in dimension! Did you really think –I- was going to simply RETELL Fire emblem?

…. Erm…. NO AUTHORS NOTE FOR JU!... Crap, I left one to say that… Damnit all.


	10. Chapter 6: Blood of Pride

Well, Here goes!

Fire Emblem Redux: Dragon's Blood

Mission 6: Blood of Pride

* * *

We came into the town peacefully. I was trying to forget last night, and I was hoping that the pulsing heaven seal was just a lie. But I knew it wasn't. Kent had ridden ahead to talk with the marquess of Araphen, whom he had said would surely help. I was ridding beside Lyndis. But we were all worried about Ariana and Garnet. I remembered the early morning conversation.

"WHAT?! NO! NONONO!!!!"

"Ariana, Please. We have to go into the city to get through. Going around would take a day longer. We're running short on time, Ariana."

"NO! I won't take Garnet into some haven of thieves and murders!"

"For the last time Ariana, this is a Lycian city, not a Bernian city. They will see your wyvern and be scared, not greedy. You don't have to be afraid!" That was Sain, trying to console her. "Come now, just take a breath and come with us."

"No. We're flying around the city. That's final."

Hiiro growled. "Alright, come on then guys. If the preppy princess of the pretty pink sky flyer wants to waste her time and fly around Araphen, then so be it. If you don't catch up with us at the south gate, we're leaving you here."

Dorcas too nodded. "You really have nothing to fear. But you shouldn't fly around the city." He sighed, and patted Garnet on the head, who merely looked at the axe man with distaste for the gesture but did nothing more. For the first time in a while, we heard Garnet speak. Well, kind of.

'Look, Ariana, the risk of being separated from the group is too much. Do we really want to go back to being alone? Especially after what Kai has done for us?'

Ariana gave in. "Okay… but only if you carry me the whole way. And we're not to leave Kai's side, got it mister 'curiosity killed the wyvern'?"

So here I was, walking beside a Wyvern-rider, as I still hadn't decided on what to call her job. So we generally just called her the Wyvern Princess, or Wyvern Rider. Truth be told, Garnet was probably feeling a bit Degraded by it all. I Semi-phased as I walked with the pair of them, and began a conversation with Garnet. 'So, Lord furry the flametastic…'

Garnet laughed a bit, that same strange hiccupping sound. 'Furry the Flametastic? I like it. It has a certain… double meaning to it. You're both insulting my furriness, and complementing my breath. Thank you, I do try to keep the shreds of brigand out of my teeth.' He mentally laughed a much more healthy sound that his strange hiccups.

I both physically and mentally sighed. 'Well well, I just wanted to talk to you about something…'

Ariana decided to chime in. 'What's going on? What're you doing Kai, you're supposed to be guarding me damnit!'

Garnet huffed. 'Ariana, please stop using me as a telepathic cipher. It feels weird. Very weird. Like wet wily weird. Like sloppy salmon weird. Like hock a loogie and it sticks in your throat and when you spit it just stretches out for a mile weird. Like penis in your ear weird.'

I sighed. 'I may have botched up the binding ritual then. Naturally, the bond is very loose… I kind of went overboard…'

'What?' they had said it in unison, making a very harmonic singing voice. At least, I thought it was nice sounding.

'Look, every person has a number of soul-strings, ready to grasp out onto something. Something they are addicted to, or has great sentimental value. Their wife, their Husband, their children… it matters not who, but how. Marriage is a ritual much like what I did to you, only much more subtle. The bonds are weaker, and easier to break. Yours is much more lasting.'

'SO basically, we're what, married now?' Ariana was the one to speak up there, though Garnet did chime in a moment afterwards. 'So now she's my wife, sort of?'

'Kinda-sorta. She's part of you, just as much as you're a part of her. I didn't take the time to identify the strings when I did the ritual; I just started matching them up. Color coded, kind of… they're all a hazy white, but they do have a tint. Garnet had a few without color-coded matches, as did you Ariana. I just kind of… matched them up.'

'I'm not feeling so sure of this, all of a sudden.'

'Neither am I,' said the half-dragon, 'I'm not so sure being your bitch is a good thing.'

'Ladies and gentle… dragons, be calm. Don't worry, I didn't match anything dangerous. Of course, you had the main one already attached.'

'The main one?'

We had stopped in the square. I stopped my phase for a moment to issue orders. "Wil, Dorcas, you're in charge of the supplies. Hiiro, Florina, you take the pawn duty. Serra, Sain, You two handle tonight's lodgings. Kent's trip to the castle is going to hold us up for god knows how long. Lyn, Erk, you're on defense detail. And Erk? Stop brooding so much, it's depressing." I completely phased, seeing as my heaven seal was pulsing like an up-beat folk song.

'Yes, the main one. Humans and Wyverns alike have a certain soul-string. This one string is as black as pitch, but it signifies happiness. You two have always been happy around one another, because Garnet had purpose, and Ariana was warm. So really, all I did was marry you two, and balance you out.'

'Balance us out? We're having trouble knowing who's thinking what!' That was Ariana. Garnet too, had a complaint.

'Aye. Thinking of Sain's massive pecker about four times a day is not what I call 'enjoyable' Kai.'

'Look, it can't be helped, but these things tend to sort themselves out. Have either of you experienced any NEGATIVE side effects, aside from seeing floating wangers and dripping women?' I was being sarcastic.

'Well, when you were doing it, I did remember seeing Lyn in all her vulnerability.'

'What? No way, I was thinking about the river…'

I felt animosity, and they suddenly clammed up. 'Uh… guys? Hello?'

There was a full minute of me being left out of the situation. 'Uhm… You guys?'

Suddenly, the conversation cut back in. 'Look, Ariana, I'll agree, you do think some dirty thoughts, and so do I, but we're just going to have to deal with it. I'll try to keep my perverted instincts to a minimum, if you'll keep yours to a minimum.'

'Fine, but in return, keep your thoughts color coded, mister imagination!'

'Alright, I will. I'll be red, and you can be blue.'

'NO WAY! Red is my favorite color, that's mine damnit. You be blue.'

'But… I'm red anyway!'

'And you'll be pink if you don't watch it mister. I have paintbrushes!'

'Fine, I'll be orange, you can be deep red.'

'Nah, I'll be orange. Orange is flameier anyway.'

I sighed. 'I can see that you'll be at this a while. I'll leave you two too it.' When I came back from crazy dragon and teenager fantasy colors land, I was surprised to find Lyndis staring at a dress a guy was pedaling. Erk, of course, was reading a book. I sighed, and smacked Ariana on the leg, while booting Garnet in the ribs. I pointed at Ariana. "You're Orange, he's red, that's final, now help me keep watch."

* * *

Matthew sighed as he sat in the back of the wagon with his hands tied, looking at the two who leaned on the larger than most others, juvenile wyvern. He wanted to be free, to taste the wind! (And more importantly rob someone of their pants so sneakily they didn't know they had been pantsed.) And more importantly, report to house Ostia that Mark was a deserter. But what did he mean when he said 'My name is Kai now.' That bothered him. And he huddled over as if in pain at the mention of Mark's name. His hand had shaken too. Did Kai kill Mark? What was going on with this guy?

I looked over and saw Matthew struggling with the ties on his wrist; he even bit on them, to no avail. I nodded to Ariana, who in turn, nodded to Garnet. A few quick steps later, and I was in front of Matthew. He looked at me with a smirk. "Hello Mark."

I smirked right back, stilling my hand quickly. It was a Side effect of Elimine's enchantment. Mark was still very much alive, only held in stasis within his body. I acted for the both of us, and used his knowledge of the world. In turn, I kept his body running, so that when this stint was over, I could go back home. "Hello Matthew." I grinned a little more. "Where are Luke and John?"

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "I'm not at liberty to say." I wanted to fall on my face and die of laughter right then and there. Double entrandas had such a literal meaning here. I shook myself mentally, I was thinking about home too much. I needed to have another chat with Mark again soon, but he was always aggressive when I woke him up. He wanted me OUT. And badly. "Who are you?"

"Look, let's just say Mark had an accident before he was with house Ostia. You'll notice I'm still pretty much the same guy. Had you been a TRUE threat to me, or Mark, I would have gutted you against that tree. Or let Garnet have his way. Either way, you wouldn't ever want to think the name Mark again."

"I don't care; I want to know why a House Ostia assassin suddenly turned coat and fled!"

"I'll tell you why. Because I was needed elsewhere."

"So there was a higher bidder?"

"This is for free. I'm not going to do this for the money. I don't care about the gold. I used Ostia to learn how to kill in silence, should I need the art. I am not Mark, as far as you knew me, I never was. Mark is a 13 year old soul trapped in stasis because he died, but didn't fulfill his destiny. I'm his Stand in, Kai. You will address me as Kai, are we clear?"

"Yeah."

"If I order you to steal from someone, you will do it. Are we clear?"

"Sure."

"You are not to lift your blade to an ally. By answering yes, those ropes will come unbound, but you will feel a bit funny. You will be bound to Lyndis Caelin, and Subject to either of our wills, for as long as she is in need of your services. Is that clear?"

"Not a damn bit."

"Let me put in thieves terms… You're a slave, but not really. You are now under an unpaid contract to do what Lyndis Caelin, or Kai, asks of you. Weather it be steal from House Ostia, or Murder a Caelin official. This contract is also an agreement to go to war, and any act of treason will be predicted and stopped, by execution, if necessary."

"Basically, I do what you tell me, I stay alive. If I try to kill anyone who is in the Service of Lyn, I die, instantly?"

"Vaguely."

"Yes. I agree."

The ropes fell of his wrist and I smiled. "Welcome to Lyndis's Legion. Be warned, you will be tested, probably in the next thirteen minutes. Or so, I'm just guessing. Anyway, go gather some information."

He jumped out of the back of the wagon and stretched. "Now, you do understand, that I WILL Report any breach of contract to the Ostian officials, correct?"

"Yeah yeah, but we better make good time. I've got a rendezvous to make."

"We'll be there so you can speak to Hector."

"WHA?!"

"The standard thief's contract says 'No questions asked.' That's the format, kid. Ask me no more questions, and I shall tell you no more truths."

"Fine. I'll get some information."

"Go to the seedy parts of town; gather any information on these things. Brigands with a grudge against the Araphen Marquess, and Rath, a Kutolah Nomad. Find out why he's working for this Racist marquess. If you happen to see him, tell him to be on watch for a Sacaen woman in a blue dress."

"Fine. I'll do it."

"And be silent about it. We don't need the Marquess knowing Lyndis is Sacaen. We're going to bamboozle this guy quite well."

"You know, I could begin to like your style, Kai. Nothing like Mark's cold demeanor."

"You have no idea just how 'cold' I can be, Matthew."

* * *

He dashed off, though Lyndis raised her eyebrow. "Your past… is a lot darker than you let on."

"Think of it as a Loaner." I quickly clamped my mouth shut.

"What?"

"Nothing at all."

"Whatever. I don't like this town, people look at me with funny eyes."

"You're Sacaen, Ariana." I winked at her. "Lyndis over there is a Beautiful Caelin Noble. These Araphen people have been taught to hate the Sacaen Barbarians, yet Embrace anyone from Eturia, Bern, or the other Cantons. They are Racist pigs, and if that merchant knew, he would never sell that to you."

Lyn's eyes took on a darker hue as she heard me speak. I leaned over closer to her. "It's a well known fact that the Araphen Marquess is a Racist, though he has a Sacaen man working for him. You'll probably meet this man, and you are not to tell him your name is Lyndis. Yet. He'll know in due time."

I motioned to Ariana, who patted her dragon and walked over. "What's going on, Kai?"

I kept my voice barely above a mumble. "Ariana, you're going to have to respond to the name Lyndis while we're in this town. You're going to have to be Lyndis' cover story. You don't look a bit like a Sacaen, so if we're going to bamboozle these guys into thinking you're a Noble lady, Ariana," I looked at Lyn, then back at Ariana. "We're going to have to change you two out." I motioned into the wagon. "Switch clothes, you're vaguely the same size. And Lyn," I stared Ariana in the face. "You're going to be a good distance away from your Dragon for a while." I patted the both on the shoulder, and walked towards Garnet.

Garnet huffed. 'You work in mysterious ways, you know that, right?'

'Matthew recognized me. Damnit. I don't know shit about the past I've made here… Vague memories and timestamps on them, a truly slop shod job.'

'What the hell are you talking about?'

'… Nothing. Don't worry about it.'

'When you stop reading my mind, I will. Ariana does that enough already.'

* * *

I stopped short. Things were starting to go haywire. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. First, Garnet set off a nuke. That was mistake number 1. Mistake two was the damnable curse. The third was last night with Matthew. I had a bone to pick with Elimine, and I guarantee, she wasn't going to like it. Suddenly, I felt a massive pain in the back of my skull, and I heard screaming. 'GET OUT OF MY BODY DAMNIT!'

Garnet looked it me in shock as I held the bridge of my nose. "Damn…" I said quietly. "Garnet, I trust you will be capable while I'm gone?"

'What?'

'Just do me a favor, and keep everything running. Get the details of the plan from Ariana. Help Rath. That's all I can say. I've got to go find a temple.'

'Fine. Just don't be too long. I don't like cities. At all.'

I nodded, and turned away, shutting my mind completely off. Lyn poked her head out. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Ariana. I'll be back in a bit. Don't do anything stupid, and keep Garnet calm. We don't need a berserk wyvern."

I Continued walking, ignoring her worried thoughts as I felt the seal slip up a bit more. The same head splitting pain, and once more, that damnable voice. 'I said get the hell out.'

'I will in a moment, but we're going to have a talk with a certain goddess.'

'What?' Mark was still straining against me, and I was being forced aside. I took off at a run towards the temple, and began to stumble, though I had thankfully managed to get inside. And then, we both were standing in front of Elimine. Mark stood to my side and winced. I merely just stared at her. This was the third time I had seen her.

"Damnit. Kai, what the hell are you doing?!"

"What do you mean? You didn't have the brains to know the implication of what you trained my body to do?"

"You're the one who requested the training!"

"But not in Mark's body!"

"What's going on?"

"Shut up Mark." I said it, and then turned back to Elimine. "I asked for three things. A Half-breed Dragon, a Girl he had befriended, who was ready to be trained, and training for the body I would be in. You agreed, and I was left to rot in silence for three weeks in a damnable COMA while you prepared it."

"I'm a goddess. I don't shove my foot down someone's throat; I ask them if they will accept me."

"I am the one who was chosen to fight whatever it is that's throwing your whole world off kilter."

"Yes, but I didn't choose you. You were picked by the Gatekeeper."

I snarled. I leapt at her, and grabbed her by the robes, ignoring her mate, Roland. "You listen to me. It was your mistake to put me in mark's body. Felix killed him, and it was your choice to put me in his body and him in stasis so that he could recover. You couldn't slow his recovery one bit, so that we could make it into Caelin, and get Lyn on the throne?"

"YOU WERE BEHIND SCEHDULE!"

"THEY HAVE STRATEGISTS!"

She was silent. "What?" she finally said. I sighed. "No, it can't… dear me… Those were the stray prayers!"

"What?"

"Stray prayers. Prayers to me with no hope or honor or emotion of anything. Just a small piece of a soul, given up as tribute. A sacrifice like that, I have to fill. It's a piece of a SOUL for crying out loud…"

It suddenly hit me. "You can see living CREATURES, correct? But humans you can only see the soul of?"

"Er… Yes. That's correct."

"Son of a bitch, those other strategists are morphs."

Mark was officially lost. Roland was trying to translate, but he was pretty lost too.

"What do you mean, Morphs?"

"You mean… Christ, I'm looking at this completely wrong. I thought this had gone through correctly once before."

"What?"

"Damnit, damnit damnit!"

"What's wrong Kai?"

"Felix is the Anomaly. That's what he is; he's the force that is upsetting the balance. Deaths on the rise, but not enough souls to account for it. You yourself said you knew something like this was going to happen."

"Correct. That much was predestined."

"And then comes along free will, and Felix, and he completely skullfucks the whole damn matrix. HOT damn Felix, what have you done now?"

"What? You know Felix?"

"We used to be friends. He made the mistake of trying to kill me once."

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you think I was chosen? I was a damn vegetable. In a Coma, with no chance of revival. They didn't pull the plug because there was a spike in brain activity."

"What?"

"Damnit… Look, I don't have time to go through the whole damn story. Just figure something out. We have to get back to the same moment when the seal was broken, with the same plan in place."

"Free will…"

"FUCK FREE WILL! They were all alive, plus two more who were not even supposed to join with the group. I started earlier, but went a lot slower, still arriving in time for Hiiro to be alive, and rescuing Ariana, who you said would still exist. I've gone slower for one reason."

"Bandits aren't smart, but a morph is. It has Lifetimes of knowledge at its disposal. It is much more cunning than a damned Bandit leader. These are also Strategist morphs. These guys are not only stronger, faster, and smarter than normal humans; they can take a lot more punishment."

"Basically, those spare soul fragments you've been granting the prayers for has made my life a living hell. Mark would have lost someone by now. I have had nothing to do but PLAN for the next move I KNEW would come for Months at a time beforehand. But they're getting smarter, and things are changing."

"The wheels of fate are turning, and there's not much you can do about it now. Felix is here by some amazingly fucked up force, and I am a sitting duck. Right now, He could find a way back, and kill my body, and it would bone both ME and Mark."

"The way I see it, you have two choices. Seal Mark up again, or give me my own body to use."

Elimine was silent as I finished my rant. She seemed to be thinking hard. Quietly. "Fine." She finally said. "The events will go on as planned, and Mark will know your entire plan for this battle beforehand. You will not speak of your world, or anything in it, again, Understood?"

"Sure, why the hell not? I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't. There's no Galdarn reason to bloody NOT humor the bitch who has completely ANHILATED anything I had resembling a life before I came to a world full of fucking dragons, magic, freaky half-alive-never-quite-dead assholes, a guy with an actual super villain complex, and another who's apparently, dead set on annihilating every gods damned thing I've ever been. Bloody fucking hell, WHY the FUCK Not? Why the fuck is it me that got picked, I've got no effing clue, and now I'm stuck with some dipshit thirteen year old who, although he has been trained by the bloody super villain in the first place doesn't know how to bloody stop his father from stabbing him in the back. For goddess sake, I'm so far beyond boned; I might as well be a skeleton. AND boned, fifteen more times. If I go back, I'm in a coma, twiddling my nut hairs while I wait for some merciful soul to pull the damn plug and get me the hell out of that rotting bed, and make me stop pissing all over my damned self while my fucking paraplegic body rots! FUCK!" I panted harshly, trying to regain control of my temper. Felt rather good to explode in the face of a goddess though. Somehow fulfilling. Like pissing on a Satanist while you sat on the pew at church. Not really, but similar.

"Felix is only to pass your lips to those YOU have chosen. The world will turn as it was foretold, and I will MAKE it happen. But you will have COMPLETE free will. The world's path is vaguely written in stone, and I will help it adhere to this path…"

"Sounds good. Sounds bloody good. When do I effing get a body so that I don't have to listen to this whiney bitch try to change the way I do things?" I jerked my thumb back towards Mark as I said it. He and Roland probably felt like little piss ants standing beside two big ass Tennessee Barking spiders as they bitched over who got to drink the horse fly dry.

"But, you will also bend to my will here. You will have your own body, but with a catch. You're going to be a trainee."

"What, you stupid little cunt?"

"You're going in, younger and frailer. The lowest of the low. You're a maggot, begging to be crushed when you go back in. But YOU will find a way to deal with Felix."

"You're fucking kidding me right?"

"Not a bit. Mark, go back. Your quest awaits you."

And Mark was gone, but I could see one thing. He knew my plan. He was going to bamboozle the hell outta that marquess, and I smiled. It was the one fucking light in my fucking shithole of a life right now. I was pissed. I was so bloody mad I could not see beyond my own nose without everything being a blurry red color, probably because my eyes were bloodshot, and I had tears rolling down my face. I was so mad, my body HURT from the adrenaline.

* * *

Mark shook his head. He could remember everything that had happened before five minutes ago. He shook his head harder, and groaned, as the priestess patted his back. "You'll be just fine." He smiled, and nodded. "Had a bit of a Spiritual crisis it seems. I'll be alright. Thank you so much." He stood up, and walked back towards the waiting caravan.

* * *

I tapped my foot. "I'm waiting, woman."

"Fine. Then back you go, and guess what… your plan? I changed it."

* * *

I blinked my eyes. "What?" I reached out with my telepathy, trying to figure out what was going on. I couldn't feel ANY other voices. Damn, she had REALLY Boned me. I guess that had been all Mark. Damn, that was a blow to my ego as well. I nicked my finger with my thumbnail, and said a basic fire incantation. "Elfanim Crimson"… and nothing. I growled. I couldn't even use blood magic fire bolts. That was gonna suck even harder. I looked to my side, and saw a slim lance. I picked it up, and it actually felt HEAVY. I looked around, the ringing in my ears finally diminishing. MY eyesight once again focused. My body was still sore from being mad, and nothing in the world would have made me happier than a cigarette, a woman, some booze, and Elimine's head on a stick. DAMN that woman couldn't have fucked me over more if she turned me into a she male whore and stole my life. Bloody hell. I decided to relax a bit and try to forget the whole damned reason I was here. Effing Felix…

I was in a locker room, and there were no other men, save for one, a man in light chain mail with a rather short bow on his back. "Rath."

He looked at me. "Yes Kai? Aren't you going to finish getting ready? Lord Korstad does not like his pages to be late." I took me as a shock. I was THAT part of the plan now. Oh shit. "Uh… right."

I finished lacing up the leather boots on my feet, and sighed. I was in simple garb, and I had a slim lance. This was all up to my speed now. I flexed my shoulders, and picked it up, before kicking the door wide, and I began to whistle, my favorite tune as I walked towards the front gate of the castle. I knew what was going to happen. The bitch could change my body, but she couldn't change my mind, and now, I was free to kick some ass, and take some names. Hooo boy, this was gonna be fun.

* * *

Mark sighed as Kent came riding back. "Looks like he has agreed to give lady Lyndis some aid."

"Good, now, let me tell you of the plan."

I stood at the front gate as the first brigands came marching up. I saw the shadow dart off to the side. Two more quickly followed it. "Rath!"

He ran up rather quickly. "Those are… Brigands! Marching on the town!"

"Wrong. On the castle. From the looks of their yellowish garb, they're Taliver Bandits. There's a Sacaen woman in a Blue dress in the town square. I suggest you go take a look."

"I must defend the castle!"

"Wrong. This is written in the books. You go check and make sure the town is safe, and raise the alarm. I'll stay here and keep them at bay for as long as I can."

"You're just a page, what do you know about combat?"

"Sword beats axe, axe beats lance, lance beats sword. Anima over Light, Light over elder, elder over anima. Staves and bows exist outside of this triangle. Mounted units have the ability to move twice provided they do not attack." I yawned. "Really, I could go over this with you all day, and not give a damn about it. But there's one problem. Without you, an innocent Sacaen woman will die. She's from a very… VERY valuable bloodline."

"You don't mean…"

"Ask me no more questions, and I'll tell you no more truths, my dear nomad. Now go save that girl."

He ran like someone had lit a fire under his ass. Nothing like telling him some famous girl from the Lorca to get him moving. I smirked. "ALRIGHT YOU BRIGAND BASTARDS!" I snapped my still bloody fingers, feeling the blood sizzle and crack before weakly igniting. "COME AND MEET YOUR MAKER!" While I held the fireball steady, I vaguely thought of the reason he would go charging off so madly. Then I remembered.

* * *

Ah, Flashbacks. They always come to me right before I get into some deep trouble, and always about some nonsensical thing. This time was no different. I Remembered it clearly. "Where can I Find the Lorca?"

The men in the tavern burst out laughing. "Those people would break you in half, boy!"

"I have a reason to find them."

"Alright. We warned you kiddo. Lorca Tribeswomen are… shall we say, rather free, but loyal. They only respect strong men, but they are intensely loyal to the man they choose. Lorca men are all about the strength and the power. They're built like Castles with legs."

"This means what to me?"

"If you're looking for some of that Famous Lorca Booty, You're out of luck. You're way too puny!"

By the time He had started to laugh, I had Katar at his throat.

* * *

I Held my lance at the ready, and flung the small fireball at the advancing ranks, before biting down on my index and middle fingers to get a generous supply of blood going. The man that it hit seemed to explode. I paled. "Shit. Damnit Felix…"

They were morphs. This was a diversion force. HE KNEW THE PLAN!

* * *

Felix cackled as the half of a face closed its eye and stopped it's hissing. No body but the prefect one would befit his Mistress in this world. "Demoness Akasha, Come when you are ready, but keep your eyes tuned on my foe… he escaped your wrath once due to my folly. I shall not fail you again. You information is a blessing." He looked back at the two other malformed Morphs he had first created, animating them with lesser fragments of his own soul so that they would be bound to his will. Every day they were less malformed. They had been sifting some of the quintessence for themselves. They were as devious as their father. He grinned quietly, and continued molding the violently resentful quintessence into the perfect face for his mistress. Beautiful and foreboding. She was not to be the breeder that he had requested, but the vileness of certain quintessence seemed to be quite like his Mistress. He wanted her to feel at home. His servants continued to form lesser morphlings to do his, and the wretch Nergal's, bidding. But he was busy working on his masterpiece, all for the glory of Akasha, his mistress.

* * *

I grunted as the blank eyed morphs clumsily swung their axes. Slit pupils. I could see some with round pupils, but those were humans, and they were breaking off, going to fight the True knights of the castle. I was slow, slower than I had anticipated. I wiped the blood from my fingers along the shaft of my lance, and took another sidestep, narrowly avoiding yet another axe strike. I stabbed outward, feeling the head of my spear gleefully pierce the flesh of the less-than-well-manufactured golem. My blood ignited as bit into the morph's flesh, singing the body of my foe. I heard armor clanking down the hall, and a sharp rebuke.

Duke Korstad looked at his two pages. "KADAN! ROHAN!" They gulped lowly.

"Sir?" They answered in unison, and stood tall, waiting on his orders. "What are you doing, following me around instead of helping my other page down there?"

"Page Kai? But sir… he's…"

"A freak, I know, but he's getting swamped by those creatures. Most of these bastards aren't humans, and they're rather flimsy. You two should be enough to hold the main entrance with him. I've got to reinforce the west flank. They've got mages out there."

"But…"

"Disobey my orders once more, either of you, AND YOU ARE BOTH OUT!"

They nodded. "SIR!" and they ran down the hall.

I took a step back, holding my bruised shoulder. A Human was in their ranks, and he was grinning like fire. The bruise began to bleed, Red liquid that was rather thin flecked with gold. I stared at it. I felt a growl rise in my throat, and I jammed my lance forward, running the bastard through. I laid my hand on his now bleeding torso. "Eldaris Elfanim, Queza malchior!" The massive bolt of thunder lanced straight through him, leaving him a bloodless, smoldering human-rind. I snorted, and held my shoulder tightly as it began to bleed worse. I examined it, and found that indeed, I was flimsy as shit. From the yellow blood that the morphs bled, and the yellow flecks, I could draw a few conclusions. One, I was now a Half-morph. Two, I had none of their gifts, and all of their weaknesses. Hell, what a damn day. The two other pages leapt to my defense as they arrived, one brandishing a rather miniaturized version of an iron axe, and the other, an iron sword.

Kadan and Rohan. I had heard their names. Kadan, the sword wielder, spoke up first. "Hey, Freak, We're here to save your ass."

I smirked. "Fine then, asshole." I smirked, and ran through the opposing swordsman who leapt over the now not so small pile of corpses at the door. I had run it right through his sternum. Morphs are flimsy. This was bad. The Chest cavity popped open like a chest of treasure, and I paled, looking at the disjointed bowels of the creature. Kadan promptly lost his lunch, and I jerked my lance back, stabbing it through the beast's heart, which stopped it's erratic jerking on the end of my spear. Rohan was doing just fine. His axe was whirling quickly through any that dared near him.

"Spend less time taunting me…" I said, and brought the spear around to the side harshly, spilling another morph's guts across the floor. "And more time helping me, if you're here to help!" I stepped back, and charged one more time, impaling one through the head, and feeling the tip bite into another's brain as it sunk through his rather… gooshey eye. Rohan was silent, but he was swinging his axe without tiring, the exact same motions as one would use to pull a chapel's bell, or swing at a ball when playing a game. He was even combining them into two stroke combinations, first pulling the bell, and then swinging the stick. It was horrendously effective. The first would fall in two just as the second would come over, and then come apart at the waist, and he would take a step back, waiting on the next to come over the hill of corpses at the entrance.

Kadan was holding his own as well, perhaps more effectively than the other two of us. He would step back, and hold his sword in the most basic of stances. Then, when his foe charged at him as it slid on the wet liquid of the pile of blood, he would whip his sword down with his wrists, and come back up with blinding speed, cutting the guy clean in two. Then the next would slide down while his sword was still over his shoulder, and there would be a splash of yellow blood sprayed anew across the mountain of corpses as the head of his foe rolled off, and yet a third would come over, and he would come down from his stance, cutting apart the ribs of the creature with little effort, and his sword would always end up back in the basic stance.

I on the other hand, was using as many different tactics I could think of. From simply impaling my foes, to ripping their soft and supple guts wide, I was just doing my job. I began to use it like a bo-staff when I realized I had broken the head off of my spear. The light, hollowed iron weapon was amazingly ineffective, but surprisingly nice. It still had a sharp end on it, though the point of the head had broken off, a simple side of the blade remained. This 'Nagimaki' style weapon was quite effective in dispatching my foes. Unfortunately, the wound in my shoulder was getting wider, and my blood was becoming less than adequate for throwing out fire spells. Or even thunder spells. I dipped my fingers into the blood at me feet after a wave of twelve, which had been the norm. Three enemies in four ranks would advance, usually containing a human in the back row. The humans fell easily once I had bleed them once, and took a bit of blood from my spear, and threw together a basic spell-series. This of course, raised eyebrows from my allies, as even then, some of the spells simply did not function correctly.

I looked at the blood and felt of it quietly. We could hear the morphs moving bodies aside. "They're going to move aside the bodies, and open a path, then charge full force." I said this quietly, and my allies looked down as I rubbed the sticky fluid between my fingers, trying to think of a way I could use it.

"How do you know?"

"It's happened before."

"Oh. How long have you been here?"

"Since the attack started. I was the one who told Captain Cairo Falxs where the REAL attack would come from."

"You know, the Duke was pretty pissed at you…"

"I couldn't leave. There was, and still is, a Bishop using Morphlings blood to fuel a shield incantation just as the group enters the Battlement archer's range. This gave them free entry, since we have no portcullis that they couldn't simply blast down. Humans went to the east and west, while a group of morphs massed outside of the main gate. The east and west gates probably have bishops as well. Is the North gate under attack?"

"Aye, but the Squires have that side. More humans, but just as many morphs. By the way, what are you doing?"

I looked at what I had been drawing. It was a prayer circle. "A Prayer circle."

They raised their eyebrows. I placed my hand in the middle and it briefly glowed. "Elimine, Saint of all Saints, if you can hear me, please, Bless these souls for the pain they have endured. I wish them mercy in the afterlife. Give me the peace of mind that I require to fend off these beasts from this castle." I closed my eyes, but continued to pray. I was thinking directly too that wench now. 'If you can hear, me, I just want to say, Fuck you, you cold hearted bitch. I'm half morph now. And by the way? Use some divine influence to get a Cleric over here soon. My bloody shoulder HURTS.'

The circle glowed brighter, and then completely vanished; a good amount of blood surrounding it vanished as well. The corpses glowed blue, then it diminished quickly, making the other pages raise their eyebrows. "Who the hell are you, Freak?" That was Kadan. Rohan finally spoke. His voice as soft as a whispering wind. "He just joined today, and he's much older than a normal page. He's had a hard life, if you can't tell. He knows his way around magic too."

"Amen." I said it, and stood up, but not before picking up the head of one of the humans and shaking the yellow blood off. I stuck my finger in his jugular vein, and pulled it away, satisfied at the blood that was on it. I gathered up a tinder box one of the morphs had dropped, and said a Fire incantation. "Elfanim Ifriti." The blood my finger sizzled and began to burn into a fire ball, which I used on the tinder box, and I gathered up my fragmented spear head. I took the back of an axe, and placed the pieces together, on top of the flaming tinderbox. IT was magnesium tinder, great for what I needed it for. I lifted the axe in my left hand as the iron heated to a glowing white, and hammered the pieces of metal together. They sparked as I had poured a bit of magic into the axe to strike, and I pulled my spear off of the fire. I looked at the cooling blade, and smiled. "Not as good as new, but good enough."

I stood up, and took out a knife I had been careful enough to tuck away in my shoe. By now, I had no lunch to hurl, so I jammed it into the red bleeding body infront of me, and cut it open, looking for something, and I found it. Heart blood, and a lot of it. Perfect for my plan. "Alright. Both of you, find human corpses, cut them open to the heart, and force the blood into this clean spot." These morphs had basic items on them on occasion, and I had picked up three things that helped me make this plan. The first was a trio of empty vials. The second was a small vial of magic powder, which I had no idea how the beast got a hold of. The third was a rather nice knife.

I slit open the bag of magic powder, and poured it into the chest wound of my corpse, and then wrote in the yellow blood with it, "Elfanim Eldaris, Infernum Tiamus."

Kadan said so and scratched his head. "What's that mean?"

"Elder Animal Spirit, Flare Dark-dragon."

"And this is what?"

"A spell for dragon's breath. Acidic dragon's breath."

"Huh?"

Rohan was the more intelligent of the two. "It's an old spell, scouring Era. IT summons the breath of Tiamat, the leader of the Dark-dragons, to its caster."

"Breath of her direct children, but none the less… It's powerful as hell. This would be a fourth clutch spell."

Kadan scratched his head. "Fourth clutch?"

"Tiamat laid clutches of eggs, with no father. Each was a different breed. This is done with human Heart-blood, so it would be a Fourth clutch, or 'Black' Clutch. First is Red, second is Blue, and third is White, fourth black and fifth green."

Rohan nodded. "Some scrolls speak of Magic like this. But how are you going to chant the words and not die?"

"I'm not. Since the breath will erupt from the heart blood of these three men, I'll use this Magic powder to do the chanting for me. It will burn the blood, sending it into smoke, which, because of the magic powder, will trace the words. The wind will speak it for me." I sighed. "It's difficult to explain. Magic powder of most varieties has the ability to speak words when burned. Basically, while this is burning, it'll be chanting the name of the spell. As you may guess, a chant is FAR more powerful than a simple incantation."

"I'm half morph, so my spells are… pretty week."

"You're… part Yellow-blood?"

"Look in my eyes. Do you see the slit pupils? The yellow flecks in the blood oozing from my shoulder? The fact that a simple bruise erupted into this wound?"

Kadan looked, but Rohan nodded. "It's logical. Their eyes are slit, but you're far hardier than they are. Though your eyes are slit, and Gold, I might add…"

"Trained under a mage?"

"In a chapel for Marquess Araphen. I was the bell ringer and the floor scrubber."

"I see…"

"And I was trained from birth, by my father, Duke Korstad!"

"That explains the skill you have with a blade."

"I detest the lance and the Axe."

"Coward's weapons?"

"Brutes or cowards. Yes."

"Ah. Typical."

I sighed, as I had finished setting the trap. The corpses seemed to collapse a bit as the morphs began to move them fully away. The trap was set, and I motioned for them to get back as I struck the flint into the magnesium tinder I had used. As I ran back, I stopped to get the severed head I had used to fuel my first fire spell. I sat down with the other two on the steps of the edge of the hall, standing up a few steps above them. The raised their eyebrows.

"Three corpses, three amounts of heart blood, which has thoroughly soaked the powder, which will CHANT the words, and also, eat the rest of the blood from those bodies to fuel those spells. It's Elder Anima magic. It has an Appetite." I smirked as they sat down beside me. I began to cut the head open and pour the blood into the vials I had collected. Each would hold enough for maybe ten fire spells. Or five thunders.

The morphs broke through and walked forwards towards us with their slow zombie like gait. The magic powder began to burn as their second rank entered the hall. By the third rank's entrance, it was on the last letters of the words. It began to burn the magic circles. Kadan looked over at me as I continued milking the skull's blood.

"That's disgusting… and the spell isn't working."

I stood up, and walked a few steps higher. They raised their eyebrows. "Magic circles for consistent results and same time detonation…" They hurriedly scrambled up beside me. Two files of morphs were advancing on us, and I had filled the second vial. My two allies began to get nervous. Rohan spoke first. "Did you misspell it?"

"Nope. Give it a mo-"

The acid washed out of the bodies with a great blast of sound, obviously a roar. The morphs were almost instantly eaten alive by the caustic yellowish-green liquid, and it washed out over the lawn, devouring countless more morphs and not a few humans. I smiled, and threw the flesh of the skull into the river of slime. I continued to talk after that. "Ment to do that."

"We'll be safe for about three minutes. And then, the acid will vanish, allowing morphs to enter the castle again. IF there are any left alive, that is…"

Kadan was just sighing. "You do realize, that was beyond overpowered, Right?"

"What?" I looked at him blankly. He sounded just like me, before this had happened. "I just got lucky." There was a sharp whistling sound.

Suddenly, my head started hurting again. I grabbed hold and fought back tears. I realized the smile was coming towards my face quickly. But my eyes were blurry...

* * *

Lyn slapped me in the face and I opened my eyes. Matthew was bending over me. Garnet and Ariana too. "What the hell?"

I said it to all of them and sat up quickly. Garnet responded first. 'You were dreaming.'

I looked around. "What happened?" we weren't in Araphen.

"The Marquess' Castle came under attack, and a Kutolah Tribesman saved Lyn. However, another assassin bonked you in the head fairly hard. Matthew saved you."

I shook my head vigorously. "But… Mark… Elimine, the Castle, Kadan, Rohan!"

"Who the hell is Mark?"

"Huh?"

"Who's Mark?" It was coming from Matthew's mouth.

"Huh? What's… going on?"

Ariana walked up and smiled. "Look who's awake? Nice. The Marquess gave us two pages to aid us in our quest. He didn't like it, but Thankfully, Lyn had a brief flash of genius. She stated that she was just the Chamber-maid of Lady Lyndis. Lady Lyndis had been wounded in the fight, and was unable to attend." She smiled, and held up the arm where she had been cut. "Yeah, I got nicked by an arrow pretty badly."

I was so confused. "But… but…"

I finally stood up and groaned. "I've…… I need a Cleric, or a Monk. NOW."

"Right-O."

Matthew dashed away quickly. Serra was still tending to the wounded. Kent came up slowly and sighed. "Well, we've got most of the injuries healed, but there are a few Serra's Staff is too busted to heal. No casualties and no permanent injuries." I Looked around, and leaned against Garnet. "I need a Smoke-stick…" I sighed heavily, and grabbed my head. "SO I got knocked out?"

"And had a hallucination apparently."

I growled. That was no hallucination. My fingers were wounded, and my shoulder had a massive bruise. Erk walked up slowly, and sighed. "Kadan and Rohan are giving me trouble again."

"Tell Kadan he can kiss my ass, and tell Rohan that if he doesn't keep Kadan in line, we have a very young dragon that's very curious about human anatomy." The all looked at me strangely. "It wasn't a hallucination, damnit."

I grumbled, and looked over as Hiiro pulled out a cigarette from a pack and looked at it. "Give me one of those Hiiro."

He looked at me and shrugged. "I found them laying on the ground over here."

I looked at them. Phaerian. "Well shit." I pulled it out, and snapped my fingers, and took a LONG draw off of it. "God it has been WAY to long…"

My head still throbbed, but I smoked my cigarette, and thought about what happened. "Bloody…"

Suddenly, I smelled something. Everything around me began turning green. I heard Sain Sigh. "I LOVE BEANIE WEENIES!" he yelled. After that…. I passed out.

* * *

Elimine and Roland were sitting on a precipice when I fell up into the sky. "AHHHH!" I missed the ground, and then came back down, making a not unsizeable crater. I groaned, and Elimine looked at me calmly. I sat up slowly. "WHAT THE HELL?"

I rubbed my temples. I was SOOO damn confused. And seeing Elimine just served to piss me off again. I needed booze. Nah, I needed a margarita. That was the kind of drink to really knock me on my ass. Personally, I had always liked the Salty and Sweet flavors it had. Straight vodka was nice too, but it wasn't what I wanted. And a woman. Nice, shy looking girl with glasses and a skirt, and a book held close to her chest, but come hither lips. A nice but wouldn't hurt either. Tall, with mile long legs, and brunette. The librarian type. That would be too good to be true, however, and it seemed to calm me down a bit as I looked at Elimine. She wasn't that far off from the image I had in my head, and was only missing the glasses and the book. I shook myself out of the slight trance as Elimine sighed.

"Mark broke loose… but something is wrong with him."

"What?"

"It wasn't Mark, earlier."

"What do you mean?"

"The guy I swapped you with was not Mark."

"What?"

She sighed. "It wasn't a dream Kai."

"So I really did kill about two hundred morphs…"

Roland looked at a little scroll. "Including the acid bomb, your total is four-hundred sixty-three. Not including it, it's eighty three."

"Damn. Well… what the fuck is going on?"

"Roland and I did a bit of Research. I figured out that someone is MASS PRODUCING MORPHS. I have it on good-standing that morphs should be VERY rare right now."

I raised my eye brow. "But these morphs are WEAK."

"Exactly. Whoever is doing it is simply making cannon fodder. Minions, if you will. No mind, no free will. Just eleven morphs, soul bound to a bandit, or whatever. That's why I cannot spot them. They're… non-existent almost.

I felt… something red. I turned around, and saw a red shadow dart into an ominous looking part of Elimine's sanctuary. "Who was that?"

Elimine blinked. "Probably just some devil."

"No… That wasn't a Devil…"

"Who cares? The point is, Mark's gone. His Crystal-shell is gone, and HE isn't to be found."

I turned back to her. "What's that mean?"

"It means… You're now in that body. Fully. No more Mark in your head. I found shards of the crystal."

"Wait, what?"

"You're alone in that body."

I blinked, and Realization dawned on me. "Where's the Gate-keeper?"

Elimine blinked. "Right this way…"

I followed her slowly, as Roland continued to look at some… strange scroll… I noticed it to be a Magazine. I shrugged it off.

Roland turned a page. "So that's where I left it!"

* * *

I stood before the massive iron bars with a thousand portals beyond, and sighed. "GATEKEEPER!" I yelled beyond the bars, and a cloaked figure walked up to the gate.

"Who seeks the Keeper of the Gate?"

"I, Kai Arimadios, do."

"The Namesake? Humph. You're not cleared to return, Imposter."

"Imposter?"

"Kai Arimadios' Dead soul just passed through these gates moments ago. Bloody and broken he was."

I reached through the gates effortlessly, much to Elimine's and the Gatekeeper's surprise. "Only those not of this world may freely pass these gates."

"Then you are Kai…. Interesting."

"What? Why." I was demanding an answer now.

"Because your body just died."

"WHAT?"

"You were just carried through to your world by a man named Felix. He said Elimine wanted you to rest in your home."

I nearly shit. "FELIX HAS MY BODY?"

"No, Felix brought you to your portal, and Rather ungracefully, tossed you, or rather, whoever that was, through. Your body then stopped functioning."

I sighed as I felt tears well up in my eyes. I was dead…

But I was still alive, here in this world. I scratched my head. "Oh shit." It hit me like a ton of bricks.

Mark and I actually look like twins, really. My face was a mirror of his. "Felix… Killed Mark, and my home body…."

Elimine suddenly realized it. "… Oh my me…. So… Oh my…"

I sighed. "Weather you want me or not…" I looked at Elimine. "You're stuck with me."

She said simply one word. "Fuck."

* * *

Felix sighed as he came out of his trance. "Ah, there we go…" he held up the small vial of white liquid. "The perfect Catalyst. Quintessence from the one man who thought he could defy the will of Madam Akasha." He smiled. He poured the quintessence out, and then pissed on it with glee. "Feel that, Kai? That's the best thing I can offer you. Bask in it, you wretch!"

The other two morphlings that were bound to his will cackled his exact laugh, though one was slightly deeper, and the other was higher. "Son, Daughter, Come here. Father wants to show his pride."

* * *

I wanted to gag. Felix had killed ME, twice now. "That's it." I said it to Elimine's face. "I don't give a rat's ass how long it takes… I will follow Felix to the ends of hell if I have too. I'm going to rip that bastard to pieces."

"What is your quarrel with him?" We were walking back towards a nexus point, since I was having a near-death experience right now.

I sighed. "Back home, on Earth, We used to be friends. But I decided to create an order of men who knew how to kill, and how to save lives. Policemen, Firemen, Assassins, Soldiers… We were Men. We knew what was right, and wrong. We believed in God, and we hated corruption. Felix was corrupt to the bone. He was, at one time, just a simple rapist. Then it escalated. He escaped, and went on a killing spree. He targeted Paladins, the Order I had founded. So, we decided to strike back. Every paladin began to hunt him. But he targeted our Families."

I sighed. "Felix killed my family, and paralyzed me, completely. Then he… I don't want to think about that. Suffice to say, it was the worst torture imaginable. Then he shot me in the head. I didn't die, I went into a Coma. A few years ago, I Began to have Brain activity spikes, AKA, I was beginning to finally die. But the spikes were made by Visitors. That's how I came here. Somehow, Felix found a way here before me. He's the reason this shit is happening." I rubbed my hair back. "That damn dark-lord…"

"Dark-Lord?"

"The counterpart to the Paladins. We were trying to right wrongs, and bring justice. We were Vigilante. We found rapists, and brought them into a dark room and put a bag over their face. We tied them to a chair, and recorded it all. Then we sent it out to all the mob-bosses. OR Murderers. Or corrupt politicians. We played mind-games to keep them in line." I sighed. "But the Dark-lords protected these people. It was becoming a War." I sighed.

"I see… Well, go back to your body. You have my blessings."

* * *

I Nodded and dove back down into the faint blue light. I woke up gasping for air. "OH! HOLY GODDESS!!!!" I smelled a stench so utterly foul…

Sain sighed. "I'm sorry… I'll be farther away next time."

"Damn right you will. Those things… I just had a Near-Death experience!"

"SORRY!"

I sighed.

"Hey, Wait? Where did Hiiro and Florina go?" They weren't anywhere near us. I scratched my head.

"Dunno… Everyone else climbed a tree…" Ariana waved from up above and I quickly scrambled up it. "HELL NO! You stay down there. You dealt it, and now you must smell it until the damn things are gone, got it?"

Sain sighed quietly. "Yes commander… but this REALLY stinks." He lifted a leg, and let off another fart, shaking the trees around. People were camped out in trees all around us.

* * *

Alright, that's that! More coming, so please hold on to your underwear. 


	11. Support Chapter 4: Devil of the Clouds

Support Chapter: Devil of the Clouds.

* * *

Hiiro sighed. Florina sighed as well. They both took a bite of their biscuits, and sighed harder. "Looks like…"

"We're trapped."

The green cloud beneath their tree refused to move, and there was absolutely no wind. Thankfully, it was heavier than the surrounding air, and cold by now, preventing it from rising.

"So, Can I ask you a question, Florina?"

"What's that?" She had grown used to Hiiro, but she wasn't comfortable around him. It still didn't change the fact that she was drooling about him from time to time. He was DAMN sexy.

* * *

I sat on a tree well behind them, Garnet and Ariana sat with me. The whole team had to climb trees, while Sain was still passing gas. The Beanie-Weenies were unholy, pure and simple. I tried to forget the disturbing experiences of the past few days. Ariana looked over at me. "Go ahead, ask us, Kai."

I looked over at them. "You already know the questions I would ask."

Garnet shook his head as he rested on a trio of branches. "No." he physically said it, confirming my doubts about the inferno we had lived through. 'We don't. We know that something happened, and you weren't you for a while. And then you passed out, and you were.' He sighed heavily, almost a Dog-like sound. 'And we need YOU, not whoever that was. He was a crappy commander; Kent got injured pretty badly, and so did the new guy, Rath. And, Lyn took a few licks.'

I checked the Heaven Emblem, which I had started calling it after remembering something I knew would come. Indeed, it was cracked, six times. "Shit." I sighed. I looked at them, and prepared myself.

"If… I had a Secret… About you… Would you hate me?"

They looked at each other. "We don't know." It was Ariana. "You gave us something we didn't have. You gave us friendship, and hope."

"You gave each other that."

"No, we gave each other respect, and love. Brother and Sister," she smiled. "And now you give us hope for the future. Our future. But you did do something strange."

I raised my eyebrow, and looked at her. She pulled her sleeve up, and I saw a vaguely reddish patch of skin, with small grain to it, much like a dragon's scales. I smiled.

"I may have enabled that, but ask yourself. Did you love Garnet?"

She nodded. "Then I at least did well by you."

"We… We don't know who is which anymore."

"That doesn't matter. Once you become a True woman, worthy of having that dragon underneath you, you'll understand." The double meaning to the sentence wasn't meant exactly like that, but that was up to them. It was a possibility.

"We'll see." Ariana sighed as she opened her mouth, but apparently, that was Garnet's thought she was trying to give voice too. Garnet spoke up. 'Hiiro has some serious issues. He still hasn't asked his question.'

* * *

Kent and Lyn Relaxed against the tree. "Well, Sain found his new hidden ability." Lyn ran her fingers over his wounds. He groaned. "I'm so sorry… What happened to Kai?" Kent shrugged lightly beside her.

"Do you remember the second week we were with him?"

"Before the Chapel of the Mani-Katti?"

"Yeah. Right after we Rescued Ariana. He didn't seem himself then, either. It's almost like he's… different. Like he's not human."

"I know, but, the way the world is turning out, we might need a guardian angel."

Kent Nodded. He longed to confess his love for her. He couldn't help it; it was just that he loved her. No reasonable explanation for it. He just did. "Lyn, I…"

Lyn's heart fluttered. I could see the blush in her cheeks as she inhaled deeply. "Kent…"

"I… I promise to protect you, forever and always. As a Vassal to his Lord… I will Always, ALWAYS protect you, no matter the foe. Always and forever, Lyn. I WILL Protect you." The veiled proclamation of love seemed to stab me right in the face. Repeatedly. Harshly. Painfully. Like it went in my eye, came out my ear, went BACK in my nose, and then out my other eye, through my brain, out my but and into my mouth and just pulled, turning me into a little ball of stupidity. That Idiot.

Lyn's heart stopped, and I wanted to cry. He was either to blind, or stupid to see it. Lyn Looked away from him, just to hide the hurt. But she still had the grace to know he was just as hurt by what he said. "I… I thank you, Kent… As a Lord to her Vassal… I Value your efforts…" She inhaled in a series of rapid breaths. "I Value your efforts, from the bottom of my heart." She stood on the branch, and jumped up a few more, before sitting down on the opposite side of the tree, and crying. Kent simply sat there, a single tear running down his cheek.

* * *

Wil and Dorcas sat on a branch over to the west of us, chatting it up, and chowing down on their bowls of soup that they had brought up the trees with them. Rath and Matthew sat next to them, on the other side of the tree, all of the four men chatting it up.

Kadan and Rohan sat on the opposite side of our tree. I decided to talk with them. "So, Kadan, Rohan, how did you like that Acid bomb?"

"It was cool." Kadan said without thinking to hard on it. Rohan, however, smirked. "I wonder how you knew about it?"

"Who cast the spell?"

"A Shadow from the past. A Half-breed, who saved our lives. But an arrow took him through the skull, and he fell into the acid."

"So that's what happened?" I nodded. "Then he has my respect. What was his name?"

Rohan Snuck around the trees, and looked at me. "Kai." He had one long Pony tail of pitch black hair. I thought of one thing. Black knight. I smiled at him. "Go sit back down before you break the branches. And be careful around the dragon."

Ariana smirked. "He looks strong, Kai."

"He'll be a great help."

* * *

Hiiro finally spoke up. "Are you… really a dyke?"

"No." Her answer was simple and flat. "But I'm not into men, either, so figure that out." She leaned back.

Hiiro just sighed. He looked over at her. "Then I'd like to get to know you better, fly girl."

"Maybe, sword boy."

* * *

Serra and Erk were sleeping. The silence was… deep. Dark. Depressing. As quiet as hell, and as blue as the midnight sky. The whole place was quiet now. But Ariana and I continued to talk in hushed tones. "What … did you want to tell us?"

"I asked… for people like you."

She raised her eyebrow. "Oh… Right… You prayed."

"You could say that."

"So, are we what you hoped for?"

"Ten times better."

"Good to know, I guess."

"But there is something that bothers me."

"What's that?"

"You and Sain."

Ariana blushed. "He… He's not really my type. I mean, he's a Knight, and I'm just a little girl with no chance."

"Don't lie."

She snorted. "Like he would ever… especially with this… mark. I'm a freak, Kai."

"Don't lead him on, and don't break his heart."

"I... don't know if I can do that." She grabbed her legs as she rested on the wide branch. "He's just… He's so funny, so fun to be around."

"But, he's not supposed to know you exist…"

"I'm not supposed to… right?"

I stopped dead in my tracks.

She continued. "We weren't supposed to exist. A half-breed dragon, in this day and age. A Girl who befriends said fire-breathing dragon, and by all rights should have died."

I smirked. "Well, consider it skillful manipulation of consequences and coincidences."

She looked at me with cold eyes. "You're a Bastard, Kai. A total bastard. You didn't explain the consequences of what you did, and tied us together so tightly it hurts to be apart."

"No, I'm a manipulative prick with a self-righteous streak, and a forbidden fruit kink."

"What? How does tha-"

"It means I want what I can't have, and I'll manipulate people to get it, but in the end, I try to do my best with what I have for the good of us all."

Garnet cracked an eye. 'You're still a bastard.'

"This may be true, but me being a bastard is the only reason you two are alive. By the way, I didn't expect to have this conversation for quite a few years."

They both snorted. 'Yeah, right, and we're the royalty of Bern.'

"Maybe of Bern's Skies, Wyvern Princess."

Ariana raised her eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I've finally decided what to call you."

'Wouldn't her name be appropriate?'

"Well, no. Sain and Kent are Cavaliers, correct?"

'Yeah, and your point is?'

"I'm curious too, what are you getting at, Kai?"

I leaned up. "Think of it like this. Wil is an Archer. Most archers become Snipers, right? The same for Clerics, they become Valkyries, and Priests become Bishops." I shrugged a little bit. "You're a Wyvern Princess, A woman who rides a wyvern and uses spells."

She shook her head. "No way. I won't be some frilly princess. I'm me. Ariana. The bitch who can't read and can't fight."

I raised an eyebrow and garnet shoved his thoughts into the equation. 'I refuse to be known as the Wyvern part of a Wyvern Princess.'

"Oh come on. Wyvern riders don't use magic! But… on to more important matters… That mark Ariana?"

"Yes?"

"It's part of your body, becoming like a wyvern's."

"So I'm going to be turned into a wyvern… wonderful."

"Just the opposite. Garnet will become a human… Sort of."

"What?" Garnet had his face in mine with a snarl.

"Garnet, Wyverns can't breathe fire. They can't speak. Dragon's can't speak. Why can you say 'no'?"

The snarl vanished and he recoiled from me, covering his snout with his tail with a huff. 'Bastard.'

"You'll retain your ability to breathe fire, and Ariana will be able to fly. At the expense of her life, she might be able to breathe fire once. Very possibly like yours."

"What this all means, is that Ariana, in about a year, your back will split open, and wings will grow. A year after that, you two will look almost identical, save for the simple fact that you are male and female. You wont be twins, or brother and sister, just two Dragons that walk on two legs, and fly. Garnet, if the circumstances had been just a bit different, you would have been a human dragon cross breed, the same as Ariana will become. I've manipulated some small circumstances. Your mother deciding to leave her village. Living in the mountains of Bern. Caring for the Wyvern who was your father. Her being slain by the very same wyvern. You killing your father to survive. Meeting a small human girl in a burned down house. It would all have happened, except for meeting Ariana."

'And why did it happen?'

"A freak rainstorm."

Garnet nodded slowly. 'Hail storm, actually.' I shrugged.

"Either way, it would have happened. Only you wouldn't have met her, if the skies remained clear, like they should have. Ariana would have had a different mindset. Upon seeing the wyvern simply pass her up, she would have grown cold and uncaring, and become a Wyvern hunter. She would have slain thousands of your kind."

Ariana looked at me harshly. "My will is my own."

"It is. But when things happen, they always change you. In no way was there any interference with your free will, or his. He could have flown the complete other way, and nothing would have happened. But he flew near you, and I asked Elimine to make a rain storm that grounded him so that you could meet."

"So you 'skillfully' manipulated the 'consequences' of ordinary events?"

"It's something I'm somewhat skilled at. No big deal, really…"

"Screw it, do you hear something?"

Garnet and I pricked up our ears. The sound was far off, but it was definitely another of Sain's Greave-busters. "Those damn greaves have to be a wind-sock by now…."

Garnet nodded. 'Aye, and his but has got to be raw.'

I shrugged. "Well, I'm going to go to sleep."

Ariana grabbed me. "You still haven't answered my true question."

"Why me?"

She blinked. Garnet did as well, and looked at me, wondering when the hell I knew what the question was. "Because, the natural happenings of this world had both you and her existing. What better way to fold the circumstances, than to merely change how you survived?" And with that, I leaned my head back, and started snoring.

* * *

Hiiro and Florina sighed. "I…… Never mind."

Florina had started to talk. Hiiro tried to fill in the blanks. "You… Aren't as cold as you come off as?"

"Kinda…" With that, she leaned back on the branch, and yawned widely, before falling asleep.

* * *

Well, that's all for now, folks. Ciao! 


	12. Redux: 1, 2, & 3: Three times the pain

A/N: Sorry for the wait, peoples. I've lost my copy of Fire Emblem, and I've lost my computer with all my ROMs in it due to a crash (and I owned a copy of every Rom I had on there, and I don't condone using an illegal copy of a game. I do however; use it to play with cheats and hacks when I'm bored.) Anyway, I've also lost my will to write myself into a rather precarious line inside the existing Fire Emblem story. I will however, continue to write along with the story, but, the groups will split off.

Fire Emblem Redux: Dragon's Blood

Redux 1: Wolf in the Snow

AND

Redux: Gaiden 1: Cherry Blossom Decoy

AND

Redux: Gaiden 2: The history of the soul

* * *

I was paralyzed in the dream. The gullet of a massive dragon roared in front of me… and I knew its name. "N-n-n-Nils?!" The beast simply roared at me, but I could feel the meaning, and the accusations it gave. His sister… I would responsible for her early death. Somehow, I would change the fate of the world, in an irreversible way. I couldn't stay where I was.

Suddenly, the dream changed, although insignificantly, it seemed. The roar decreased in volume. And I felt something powerful beside me. A Sidelong glance revealed two creatures, the likes of which I had not seen before. One, tall and strong, with a massive crimson tail lashing behind him stood paralyzed, claws almost three inches long adorned his hands as he tried to break the spell. A desperate need to fight off the illusory dragon in front of him. His face… it made me think of Garnet.

The twin spires erupting from his head arched forward, then back, but they were short, probably made for goring an enemy, at only six inches long. His twin wings were massive and scarred with the marks of many battles. The spines on his decidedly scaled body were deadly seeming, and I could see drying or dried blood all over them, the sickly yellow color of a morph's life-blood discoloring his beautiful hue.

Beside him stood what I could call no less than a succubus. A Woman with curves in places I didn't think a curve could be, and beauty I had only seen matched once, but never in this world. Pale white clashed with an almost burning black hair color, but I noticed that the burning effect was caused by deep red highlights. The wind of the illusory dragon's roar made her hair fan out in front of her face, but I could see the colors of her eyes plainly through the cracks. An almost iridescent green iris with golden streaks and a tightly slit black pupil. Her almost royal seeming clothes and armor shone a brilliant crimson and green, and it hit me like a ton of hard stone.

Ariana, grown and transformed by MY Meddling stood beside her chosen mate, but still wore the colors of her first love. Sain's irreplaceable mark on her heart was expressed by the green, but I could plainly see the soul string between her and her dragon, the blackest of blacks, drawing in the light. She was supremely happy with her life now. Crimson colored wings adorned her back, but they did not erupt like Garnet's did, her wings smaller and more nimble seeming. Her tail, too, was slimmer, and more whip like. The only thing she lacked to seem a true succubus, fit the make love to the lords of the nine hells, was a simple spade on the end. Instead, a series of short, razor sharp spines lined it from base to tip. Her forearms and lower legs, left exposed by her armor, had a dragon's scales, and an obsidian colored spike erupting from just above her knee, and her elbow. Talons and claws, both completing the almost succubusishly beautiful illusion, made her look menacing. Her hair stopped wavering, and a toss of her head sent it behind her shoulders, revealing the now much more defined face.

She was beautiful. Angular eyes that seemed intense yet caring slit across her face and a cheerful smile bordered on a smirk. Her horns I could now see. Flowing backwards over her head and stopping atop her cranium made it all the more menacing. She looked at Garnet, and smiled vaguely. "Fur ball." I heard her say. He glanced over at her with disdain then his jaw dropped and hit the floor almost. "What?!" He SPOKE!

"What's going on here?"

The two newest recruits to the group stepped up. Kadan and Rohan, each looking so different than before. Kadan's slim curved sword hung over his back, and nearly touched the ground, its blade bare. A Daikatana. Rohan held a massive axe with one hand, a calm look on his face. "A Shared dream, Kadan."

I felt something rub my side again. I glanced about and up, but nothing… then I looked down. A Pure white wolf, his eyes as blue as the skies after a hard spring rain, looked at me calmly, and nodded slowly. I noticed my clothes… No longer was I in the clothes of a strategist, but a pure white shirt adorned my chest, with dust covered brown pants. My Katar too, were gone, replaced by a pair of gloves that hung at my side, claws and vague runes adorning them alternatively. "Amazing… perhaps this is prophecy?"

The wolf nodded slowly, and leapt onto a stump within the center of the group. Garnet was still staring unabashedly at Ariana, who had discovered her breasts, and her own jaw was dropped. I was more interested in the wolf. Besides, the Dragon had claimed her. Hiiro stepped beside me. He looked hollow. "I… I saw a white dragon devour Florina…" I turned back to the wolf.

"Good, all those who have been chosen are here now." It was my voice, repeating the wolf's words. I didn't know why, but I was giving voice to his speech. I could tell that Hiiro and Garnet weren't paying attention. Never expected them too, anyway. Ariana wasn't either, too interested in the rather massive new items she had acquired in this dream state. Kadan and Rohan paid attention however. "Leave Lyn. You have set her well on her way. Find the one known as Felan. You…" the wolf looked at me with a stern eye. "Will know him when you find him."

* * *

Suddenly, the sound of a fire spell woke me up. "Burn this stench away; it's the only way we will survive!" Serra was shouting at Erk, her eyes a brilliant Maroon.

"I'm casting them as fast as I can, Serra!"

"Oh that is IT!" I shouted, and stood, slicing my finger open nicely with my teeth. "Eldaris Elfanim, Pagasu Deiti, Shiva Slphyi!" I raised my now profusely bleeding hand at the green cloud. "FIMBUTELVIR!" The massive gust of wind slung Sain against a nearby tree as he howled desperately, and clung to the rough bark of the tree. A few chunks of solid ice slammed into the ground, and with a loud sound, shattered on impact before refreezing in a massive azure crystal block, that suddenly faded into nothingness. I fell back against the tree and panted as the green cloud floated up into the sky, before slowly descending. I pitied the place it landed. A Few of the leaves in our trees had begun to decay.

I panted slowly. "There. Problem solved." I jumped down to the ground, the sound of dead grass crunching under foot alerting me to the fact that the stench had not completely dissipated. It was goddess awful, and I could still smell every bit of it, despite the fact that I wasn't breathing. "Alright, come down everyone. Kadan, Rohan, Garnet, Ariana, Lyn, Hiiro, come with me."

The group slowly assembled, the five that had been in the dream with me all looking equally disturbed, Lyn just wondering what was going on. "Lyn, I need my amulet."

"What?!"

"I need my amulet back. It's too dangerous for me to stay with you."

"But… no, Kai. You can't leave, I still need you here…"

"If I go with you any father, not only will I die, but Florina, and everyone in this circle, WILL DIE."

"What? What do you mean?"

"A Shared dream is ALWAYS a prophecy, which much I have learned over the years. If I go any further with you, you will die, and your destiny left unfulfilled, will damn the world to the pit of hell."

"Eh?"

"Just give me my damned necklace."

"Fine." She jerked it off roughly, and I suddenly felt heavy. I had come to rely on every one of them. But I took the amulet in my hand as she handed it to me, and crushed it calmly. I took the Heaven Emblem from my side, and gave it to her. "This will protect you until I Return. When I do, we will BOTH be ready for whatever the world will cast at us."

"Why are you leaving?"

"Because. Your course is Set, though not in stone. You may still choose, but you will follow your path, no matter your choice. I've been assured of that." Elimine's words had been enough to assure me of that. Besides. My information on the world so far, had been both correct and incorrect. I decided to follow the path that was laid out in my dream. In OUR dream, rather. I could feel Elimine's hand, guiding me north. The Unbearable pain in my stomach pulled me north, like I was missing some key part of myself. "Look, Elimine has sent you one guide, in the form of Serra, despite the fact that she's as crazy as a loon… Another will come to you soon, and soon after, another god will send you a new guide. You know of my methods, and you are a brilliant woman. My gifts are wasted on you. Your legion is well experienced now, and they can fight. They can fight like the dickens."

"But-"

"No buts. I'm doing this to keep things as they should be. You would die, I would die, Ariana, garnet, Kadan, Rohan, and Hiiro, as well as Florina… but Florina must go with you."

Ariana spoke. "Don't worry, Lyn. He knows what he's talking about." Her hand was on her chest, and her elbow wagged strangely. I guessed it was her wanting her boobs back, and willing to leave to get them. Then again, I had been wrong before. "Come on, we'll leave now. Kent will show you the path, Lyn." And with that, I turned to the north, throwing down layer of cloth after layer of cloth, the green and brown robes falling to the ground as I walked, discarding the last vestiges of Mark.

* * *

Lyn sighed as Kent stood next to her as they looked down at the inn. The sun had set on the second day, and Florina looked so sad. Sain too, was inconsolable, though he was much more vocal about it. They had tied his mouth to his head, but still, he sobbed loudly.

"Come on. We go down, and stay at the inn. Cheer up Sain, maybe you'll find a girl with some Luisy bush?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He had broken free of the mouth restraint with that, and Kent grabbed a hold of him, and slapped him across the face. "Shut up, Boy! You haven't stopped wailing for two days, and its grating on my nerves!"

"HEY!" Florina landed her Pegasus next to Kent and punched him forcefully in the arm. "You leave Sain alone, you big Meany! He's sad that his friends left!" She was both happy and sad herself. Her Competition for Sain's attentions was gone, and she had also lost Hiiro… But she still remembered him fondly. Maybe she would see him again. Maybe not. She could have Sain, and with a nice bed, that was going to be the BEST night of her life. "Come on, Sain; let's go down to the Inn." The downtrodden man nodded coldly, and left the stunned Kent and Lyn on the hill as Dorcas and Wil slowly took the Caravan route down. Serra and Erk, with Erk carrying all of the Hyperactive Cleric's things, slowly walked along behind it, Erk nodding slowly as he ignored Serra's Blue eyed rambling.

"Kent?"

"Yes, Mi'lady?"

"Kiss me."

This stopped Kent dead in his tracks. He knew nothing of Lorca ways, and didn't know the sheer significance of that statement. "Mi'Lady?"

She turned her back on him. "If you can't do that, then we have no business outside of-" His hand wrapped about her arm, and she spun into his body, their lips tightly bound together, her eyes showing surprise, even as he placed his gloved hand on the back of her neck, and placed his other on the small of her back. He bent her backwards slightly as he dipped her into the kiss, their open mouths freeing their tongues to play with the intruders they suddenly found unbidden in their territory, the new shape that was clearly not food disturbingly pleasant. For a full three minutes, they moved naught but their heads.

Kent stood her up and broke the kiss, gasping for air. Lyn's hair had come slightly undone and she panted, a single blue strand hanging in front of her eye. "Good GOD what was that?"

"A Caelin Kiss, what else, Mi'lady?" Kent's eyes had a shimmer in them that played at pure pleasure. "That's how a Knight kisses a lady, if you didn't know."

"Then let me show you how a Lorca kisses the bravest warriors." She slammed against the tree, and planted her lips on his as she unbuckled the side of his armor. Kent fought her off for a mere moment, and said "Vassal to his Lord!" almost desperately, trying to find a way out of the sticky predicament. Lyn would have none of it. "Not a Princess yet!" And with that, he gave in to her, and his breast plate went flying to the side, with a pair of weapons clattering to the ground.

Lyn sighed peacefully as the moon began to set, Kent still panting harshly on his side as he rolled onto his back, groaning lowly. "I think you have… broken me, Lyndis…"

"I better not have, there are still many hours before first light, and I don't plan on sleeping tonight."

"Goddess help me, if this is half the torture Sain went through, I don't see how he still has his mind…"

She caressed him, and he winced painfully. "Aye! AYE! Sore! Bloody SORE!"

"Oh Calm down, Kent… it's only your chest I'm rubbing…"

"Your teeth do more damage than you think, AYE! NNH! Damnit woman, keep your hands off my nipples!"

"You didn't hear me complaining about your teeth, and you bit far harder."

"AYE! Not that either! Bloody HELP OW! DAMNIT!" Her head disappeared beneath the cover and he bit his bottom lip, the colors exploding in his mind mixed with the color of pain, in a perfectly pleasurably painfully playful symphony and he grunted. "Easy! EASY! I'm still tender…" he groaned in pleasure as she softened her touch and he moaned. "Pair of clamps, I swear… AYE! Damnit, calm down, it's not goi-go-GOOD GODDESS AYE!"

* * *

Wil Laid in the tree, his spy glass fogging up as the girl in the window winked at him calmly. "Daddy is gonna ha…. What the!?" He paled calmly as he fell from the tree, and got whacked by a rather stout branch on the way down, the girl walking towards him. "nnoooo…" he groaned as his world went black.

* * *

Florina slammed Sain into the wall, his nude form still refusing to take action. "Damnit all to hell, Sain, what is WRONG with you?"

"I don't know!" He frantically tried to rectify the issue, but to little avail. He sighed. "I… Just don't know!" Florina sighed, and sat on the bed, before taking up the glass of wine. An involuntary jerk poured the liquid onto her chest, much to her distaste, and she growled lowly. Sain's eyes locked directly onto the wet flesh, and he groaned. "I think that fixed it…"

"And what a fix indeed!" Florina said with a raised brow. "That's all it takes?"

"Apparently, that's the only thing it takes."

"I'll keep that in mind…" she said as she slowly picked up the bottle of wine with a devious grin. "Care for a drink?"

"You have no idea."

* * *

I sighed. "Why do I feel like I've done a terrible misdeed?"

Hiiro shrugged, Rohan too. Kadan spoke up. "Well, you did annihilate over four hundred people in one spell."

"Oh not that. That's child's play, compared to the evil I FEEL I have unleashed…"

Hiiro laughed. "It's not like Sain and Florina were into each other…"

I looked at him dumbly. "Oh, and I are Stupid." I laughed. "Duh. Before you came along, Florina was all up in Sain's face wanting some."

Ariana giggled, wrapped tightly in a few of my old cloaks. My pure white noble's shirt shimmered in the pale green dawn light of the mountain forest. The few patches of snow on the ground made her shy away harshly. "Yeah, I remembered that… She played the part of the damsel in distress quite well."

I smiled, and walked up beside her and Garnet. Garnet's words had developed beyond 'No' and 'bastard'. He could now say 'you.' "So, the snow bothering you Garnet?"

"No, You bastard." He was very well articulated. But I felt odd here. 'I smell something strange. Your own stench, but as a dog… so to speak.'

Ariana nodded. "I can almost see it. It's so strange to see like this." To her, the world was bright, and powerful. "I'm sorry about what happened to you Kai."

I shrugged. "It was Mark's Gift."

Hiiro growled. "What the hell are you talking about now?"

"I'm no longer Telepathic. That's why I left. That dream… It stripped that gift from me. The last thing that made me a Strategist is gone. First, I lost my foreknowledge of the world. My own folly changed the fates of everyone here. Just how, not even I know. You… You probably should have died. Kadan and Rohan too. I'm not even native to this world, so I don't know all the laws." I shrugged. It was so strange to be out here, all alone, without anything to tell me what to expect. Then, the unexpected happened.

A Black Lynx leapt in front of me, hissing as though it was quite angered by my presence. Garnet and Ariana took a step back quietly, each getting ready. I could see Ariana's slowly forming claws touching her fingers, ready to cut them open to burn the cat to ashes. But I simply laughed. "Felix! HA! You send an envoy to me? Then I pray for mercy on your soul." My Katar were in my hand before I even realized that I was ready to kill the beast. Garnet was hissing lowly, ready to spew a bit of his fire, not enough to hurt himself, but enough to hurt the cat. "Calm yourselves. This cat can't be burned by fire." I grinned, looking at its red eyes. "It's a fell type of cat…" I grinned, and Held my Katar out calmly, crossing them in front of my face, grinning with a merciless fervor. I would cleave this cat into ribbons. My back leg came out farther, and my left leg came to the front, and I took a good firm stance, ready to fight with my punching daggers.

With the speed of a lightning bolt, the Katar fell from my hands, dripping pools of acid. I glanced at them in shock. Those were made by Elimine herself for me. Now THAT was a blow to the ego. "You BASTARD!" The Lynx suddenly shied away from a shadow behind me. I snarled, but then, I realized something. I wasn't snarling alone. Garnet, Hiiro, Ariana, Kadan, and Rohan were all quiet. A White wolf, as large as I was, stepped beside me. His shoulders came to my hip, and his blue eyes were drawn back in a narrow glare. I snarled at the lynx myself, and raised my hands into a fighting position. The lynx leapt at me, once more, but then something happened that I did not expect. "Felan, Strike!" The Lynx suddenly did a flip to the side; her throat ripped wide, jugular veins hanging out of the jagged hole in its throat. But it was still coming at me. My hand shot out, like a cannon, slamming into the side of the lynx's head in a massive right hook. My elbow bent harshly as soon as the punch connected, but I had punched through. The Cat would be in some serious pain, that much I knew. But my elbow kept coming, and I felt it slam into the cat's ribs as it spun, the sickening crack of its ribs sounding loud and sharp in the quiet forest.

The brief little fight was over as soon as it had begun. I smiled, and looked at the wolf, who now stood above the Lynx's body, eating his fill, even as the lynx weekly pawed out at the Wolf. A Ruptured heart and punctured lung, from the bubbling blood flowing from its throat. The brief spurts proved the heart. The cat's face was half caved in. "Looks like a Laguz…" I said briefly. The wolf glanced at me with what seemed to be smirking eyes. "Oh don't bloody tell me." I said to him. He merely closed his eyes and kept eating. "Good… not a Laguz." I reached down, and looked at the cat's vaguely fluttering eyes. "Felix… My dog came back. Thank you for the gift, my friend. I promise, what he failed to finish the first time, Felan will accomplish the second time." The cat roared in my face and I pushed my thumbs into its eyes with distaste.

* * *

Felix Screamed in pain as he reared back from the impact against his eyes through the Lynx Skull. "DAMN YOU KAI!" Felix roared his displeasure as Nergal cowered in front of the now fully visible Manakete. The Beast had wings much like a dragons, but the rotted meat visible within the decayed flesh of his body did not stink, rather it pulsed with life. Unlife, presumably. "DAMNIT ALL TO HELL!"

Nergal stared in awe at the raging Manakete as he lifted his wordless son into the air. The fully formed Morphakete merely stared in awe at his father, and smiled as he felt his ribs disintegrate under the grip. "Bastard! You are the one who advised this course of action, Kavis! YOU are to blame for your failure! YOU knew of the wolf, Kavis! YOU ARE TO BLAME!" Felix reached up, and dug his rotted fingers into the skull of his son quietly. The Morphakete merely grinned at his father, content in his punishment. "And for this, you will feel pain." Felix smiled, the look of content at his father's touch dissolved as suddenly, the morph felt new quintessence. New things plagued his mind. Pain.

The Morphakete had no voice, and he could not scream, but the air flowing from his mouth was ten times more horrible than a mere scream of pain. Nergal winced in utter agony as he saw the Morphakete writhe on his father's hand. The first true physical sensation the boy had was pain. And he would always remember. Such a terrible pain, claws touching his brain, the plague brought by the Manakete's claws racked the boy's body as his ribs were squeezed harder by his father. The hissing air slowly evolved, the hiss becoming a deformed screech of pain. "KSHIIIII!!!!" the ear-splitting wail that came was enough to cause Felix to throw the limp rag-doll of a body against the wall, the snap of a now broken wing loudly announcing the boy's uselessness. But the screech faded, and the boy stood, his smile now a meek frown. Displeasure, but fear. An immense amount of fear. "I will not tolerate your insubordination, child. Failure to obey me is failure to Akasha! Do you think this a game, my son? Do you think yourself able to fend off my claws?! I made you, and I WILL UNMAKE YOU!"

The boy cowered even further at the threat of unmaking, remembering a morph who had been created as an experimental warrior. It was violent, and unruly, but uncannily sharp. It could even utilize spells. Kavis had thought it a God like his Father. His Father gave him all, and could strip all away from him as well. His sister sighed as she lay on the bed quietly, next to his father. Nergal coughed.

"Yes, Nergal?"

"The breeder?"

"Kala, come forth."

A woman, perhaps five foot tall, stepped forward. "Ah, such Avarice and lust within her. She is blind to all but the one who first touches her. It was a feat amongst feats to not touch her."

"Good. Then she is blank?"

"There are a few things I gave her, as a control mechanism. Laugh at her, and she is shamed. Praise her by name, and she is proud. Slap her, and she is still, and meek. Pleasure her, and she is yours for life. Would you like our bed?"

"No, thank you. What were you doing with the Skull?"

"It is none of your concern."

"You were in pain. MY Trusted advisor should not be in pain."

"You need not worry, Nergal. Take your wench and go." Felix smiled. "Unless you would like to join us…" The Manakete lifted the covers invitingly as he cackled at Nergal's look of pure unadulterated disgust. He grabbed hold of Kala, and turned, walking away from the room with anger in his eyes. Kavis too, left, his new found voice unable to speak, but the need to scream form the reminiscent feeling of pain was horrible. He also knew something now. Something other than pleasure and anger. Pain. And his father controlled it. Truly, his father was his God, and he would not be a merciful god. He would stay away from that feeling. He would please his god from afar.

* * *

I stood. Felan licked his chops in front of me, his most recent meal of a thawed steak was obviously pleasing, but still not enough for me to convince him that he and I were to be kin, of a sort. The scarred wolf was obviously the dog I had once owned. Part husky, part wolf, but all merciless killing machine, save for the fact that he wasn't truly out to rip my face off. It bothered me. Something so familiar and I could not touch him without being bitten. Harshly. How was I to earn his trust?

"Felan, how am I supposed to get to know you when I cannot even pet you?"

Garnet smirked. 'He's waiting on the command, you buffoon. He's learned to hunt, but he knows you, and what you speak, but not what you need.'

I sighed. "Felan, come."

The wolf stood, and whimpered quietly, his tail between his legs. I wondered what was going on. And then I remembered.

* * *

I was sitting on the bank of the lake, fishing pole in my hand, cigarette hanging from my mouth, enjoying my day off. I had to preach tomorrow, for Sunday morning service, but that was all right. I had the service planned out. On Friday of course. To me, Saturday had always been the Sabbath, and I NEVER worked on Saturday. It was my way. I smiled, and felt the tug on the line. I jerked back on the pole, and turned the reel harshly. Such a powerful foe on this day! I Growled as I turned the reel, the sound of the straining line threatening a break, so I let the fish have his head for a moment before jerking back again, pulling the fish from the water. The Pike Leapt into the air, water flashing behind him as I used my hand to flip the rod again, jerking the pike's head towards me. The pike was suffering from a bad case of avarice. And I could tell. The Shinny spinner on my line caused the line to go completely slack, and I watched it on the surface of the water as it turned back towards me. And so I reeled as hard as I could, fighting that pike for all I was worth.

The day dragged on, but everything was calm, and peaceful, and the night was coming on quick and cold. It always did this far up in the hills. I awoke from my mid day nap to hear a whimpering sound. "Eh?" I looked about. Such a quiet little patch of woods, but then I saw it. A White puppy, in a trap. His paw was caught in the rope of a fox trap, and his black furred foe, a large Lynx, had a bear trap through its throat. "Amazing." I said quietly, as I walked towards the trap. I myself kept my eyes out for them. The Lynx was dead. Very dead, I could tell. The Bear trap merely held the cat aloft, its head in mid leap, and its body going stiff. I didn't know how or when it happened, but it did. The pup was whimpering quietly. I noticed a mush of black and crème fur in its mouth. It had gone after a lynx's Kit, and won out by sheer luck.

I took my hunting knife, and cut the rope away from the pup, obviously an orphan. The scars on his side showed that he had survived an all out attack from a bigger dog. Or maybe the lynx's Kits. It didn't matter, because the pup was whimpering harshly as I examined his leg. Broken. Badly, if I could say anything. I picked him up slowly and winced as he kiyi'd harshly. I took him as quickly as I could to my camp-site; While Felix peeked out of the tent. "Whasgoin'on?"

"Hey, Felix. Found this wounded wolf pup, and I think I'll keep him. It's obvious he hasn't seen a damn bit of kindness all his life." Felix grunted. "Throw'im in the lake, Kai. You've got no need to have a damned dog. Too damned Kind."

"We have to pack up anyway. I'll go ahead and set his leg." And I set to work on it, the pup so scared of me it wasn't funny.

A Year after that, I had finally brought the wolf back with me. Felix was sitting on the lake shore as I play fought with my wolf-pup, smiling at him. "That dog's going to bite your arm off, and I'm gonna have to put him down, Kai."

"Oh shut up Felix. You and I both know he's too damned nice. Or did you forget how much he likes to lick your beard?"

"I swear, you're turning that damned dog into a pussy, you dip."

"And what about that dog who was going to mate your prized Sheppard?"

"I don't owe that little half breed dilly squat!"

"Sure, just a pedigreed Australian Sheppard."

He merely grunted. "Still cost me five hundred dollars."

"I told you not to pay them a dime."

He grunted. "Sometimes, I doubt you're even a Christian, Kai."

"You're the Agnostic one."

"Point and counter point. You're the one who acts agnostic."

"I just never had any use for outdated ethics."

"I wonder about you, I really do."

"How many times have –I- bailed you out of trouble?"

"Too damned many. You're too good a friend man."

"Tell it to Satan when I see you in hell." I smiled. I sat down on the beach, my wolf running around like a little kid.

Night fell, and I hollered into the woods. "Felan, Come!" But all I heard was whimpering. I saw him sneak out of the woods, his tail between his legs and a grim face showing plainly. He thought he was in trouble, but I didn't laugh at him. I sighed, and said much more softly, "Felan, come." His tail perked up and he ran at me full speed, tackling me onto the ground, licking my face quietly. "Good boy!" I petted him quietly as he growled to me in his own way.

* * *

The flash back faded almost as soon as it began, and I sighed. "Felan, come here please." His tail didn't shoot up, but it did give a bit of a wave. He took a step towards me and a step back. "Felan, come." It was soft and calm and he took two steps towards me. His instinct pulled him away, but something pulled him towards me. "Felan, come." Calmer still, and he jumped towards me, then stopped, and slowly trotted towards me, his head level with my face. I slowly reached my hand out, and placed it under his muzzle. He didn't flinch or shy, but he did watch me warily.

Slowly, but surely, he understood. I meant him no harm. And then he ran into the woods, quietly. The days passed, and each day, he followed us closer, and I would feed him, and he would follow us. The days came and went, everyone wrapped within their own worlds. But I was focused on my pet. He was soon merely ten feet away from the rest of us each day. And every day, I fed him, saying to him "Felan, come." And he would come. And After a while, he began to sleep near me. But the ultimate test still was to come. My hand had never petted him. But one day, he was sitting beside me, on the bank of a creek. I reached over, and placed my hand on his head, and stroked backwards. He didn't move. I stroked him again, and he growled, but remained still. I continued petting him. That had been a good day.

* * *

Lyn sighed as the last of the Elder mages fell. No great injuries, no massive casualties. All because of Nil's music. The flowing strength that surged into those nearby had been a call to arms for the army, and they had plowed through the enemies with precision. But still, this luscious Lucious man was quite the breath taker. In many MANY ways. He was adept at healing minor injuries, and he was lithe, his flowing blond hair streaming out behind him as he flipped into the inner-most guard of the Shamans. His hands burned with an unearthly light as he struck them down with one or two blows to the mid section, and flipped away again, dashing to the next enemy. Those he could not close in on fast enough met a rather untimely end as lances of light impaled them with a few motions of his hands. But still, something worried Nils. Matthew had gone missing, and Sain and Florina were at odds, once more. She ALWAYS looked down on him, and he on her. Then it broke out again.

"I will do no such thing, Florina!"

"And why not? Too high and mighty? Too professional, too knightly?"

"No, because it is a disgusting prospect."

She growled, and turned once more, Lyn following closely, as Kent did his part to ease the burning tempers. "What's wrong Florina?"

"It's Sain, He-"

"Wants me to eat no more meat!? Can you believe it? A Man cannot live without his meat. I can do without the beans, but damnit all, I WILL HAVE MY-"

"Meat, it's all he ever thinks about, and bless him, I try to make him see that his body will work better if he doesn't eat it so damned much, and thank god he laid of the beans, but still, why does he insist on eating his meat so damned-"

"Rare for a woman to not eat meat, but still, she should try some. She is totally adverse to the idea! Why not just give it an itty bitty taste-"

"Like shit, it does, and I will not eat it, even if DORCAS cooks it!"

"She won't even eat the meat Dorcas cooks!"

Lyn and Kent sighed. "This is not a good day." they said simultaneously, from different rooms in the Inn.

* * *

I sighed as we came to a halt. Ariana had demanded it. It was getting to cold for her. She and I stepped out of the camp, Garnet and Felan having a Silent conversation, as they usually did. Sometimes, I swear, I could hear my dog think. She sighed, and pulled up her sleeve. Dragon scales coated her fore-arm, and rose to her elbow, where they faded into naught but mild discolored patterns on her flesh. "Why?"

"Because you and he are so close."

"You did this! I can't even walk into town without people staring at the girl in the cloak."

"Does your back hurt?"

"Hells yes and these things aren't helping." She jerked her thumb at her back, pointing at her obviously growing wings. Garnet himself was much unchanged, though he was becoming much more compact, although stronger. Ariana was experiencing the worst of the changes. She was so strangely beautiful however. She was becoming a woman so quickly it was frightening. The time table had been stepped up by something. Maybe it was her, or maybe it was Garnet, but still, they were growing so damned quickly. We had no time to waste. I gave her another cloak with a sigh. "Wear this one as well. We don't have time to waste on you being cold."

With that, I turned back to the group, and nodded to the north with a grunt. "We don't bloody have the time to waste on this. Let's go. We sleep in Bulgar tonight, and then north to the arctic sea. We will wait on the next dream there."

"But why are we following these portents?" It was Rohan who spoke. He was very calm and collected. So utterly emotionless as well. "Are we certain that the dream was not a veil of untruth cast over our eyes by ill meaning forces? How are we to be certain that Lyn has not perished?"

I thought on that calmly as Ariana remounted Garnet. "I believe…" I said as I began to walk, my left hand tracing various runes, in an absent minded fashion, "That something calls me, and I do not trust my ability to survive alone on these plains, nor in these towns." I sighed, and touched the rune, a vague burst of light solidifying in my hand, the lesser spell of light coalescing into an orb in my hand. As close to a flashlight I could get in this world. "Besides. If this was truly the wrong path, Elimine would tell me."

"You have too much faith in the Gods, Kai." It was Kadan who spoke that, but Hiiro finished it off. "Did you forget all that she has put you through?" and with that, I sighed in a defeated manner. "Yes, and No, to each in turn. While I believe in Elimine's power, I haven't forgotten what she has put me through, and I doubtless believe she'll try and slaughter me before too long, on some crazed whim."

"IF she's a woman, the answer is that she's plotting your demise now." A woman stood in our path, very obviously Ilian. She had on the robes of a peasant, but I could tell that was merely for the warmth it offered. She wouldn't have passed for a true peasant. "Otherwise, she'd have already killed you, stranger…" She smiled, crossed arms concealing her body. "I've been tracking you for a while now. You have two options."

"Your money or your life?"

"No… Your money or your wife there…" She pointed at Ariana. I burst out laughing as Garnet began to growl vaguely. Felan looked at me with an odd expression. "My WIFE!?" Ariana herself slipped off of garnet, laughing hard, even in the snow. "Wife? Wife!? HA! As if!"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "And this is supposed to mean what to me? Wife or no, it's either twenty thousand gold or her." And she looked at me… or at least where I had been. Felan and I both had used the commotion Ariana had caused to our advantage. "Felan, Heel." I said to him, and he stood firm beside me, silently snarling at the woman from behind her. And with a speed I had not expected, she dashed forward, planting a foot on Garnets head, and running upwards on a nearby tree. Her Robe slowly drifted to the ground as she threw the knife right at my eye.

I held two fingers up, and let the blade slide between them, moving my head to the right as I slowed the blade to a point I could catch it. "Alright, Kunoichi, EAT THIS!" And I spun the Kunai around my finger, then let it fly, the point headed right for her chest. "Felan, fetch!" I said, the wolf eagerly bounding after the flying shaft of metal.

The Kunoichi was surprised to say the least as she landed on the ground to find a wolf holding a kunai in his mouth, holding it level with her chest. "Felan, drop." And with that, the kunai fell, and he growled at her, his fangs less than six inches away. She could hardly see the wolf against the snow covered ground he stood on. All she could see were two blue orbs and she could hear the faint growl of his throat.

I stared at the scene, even as Felan closed his mouth and sniffed. Somehow, it struck a chord… I tried to remember…

* * *

_Sakura_… Cherry Blossoms, I thought it meant. The lilting word seemed to flow off the tongue with the grace of a cherry blossom on the wind to me. But the blossoms were not what distracted me from Felix's incessant howling about getting some dirty games. Felan stood firm beside me, but watched my eyes, wondering clearly where I stared. The half-breed wolf was very interested in things I did, and utterly ignored Felix. So much the better for him, it seemed. "Amazing…"

The woman, obviously a martial-artist, stood tall in the small cherry orchard in the middle of the park. She moved with a grace that was fitting for a ballet dancer, merely gliding smoothly from tree to tree, her old fashioned bamboo and paper umbrella held firmly on her shoulder, catching cherry blossoms quietly as she watched the small pink blizzard caused by the light breeze. The brief wind had sent her raven colored hair flowing. That had been what caught my eyes.

"Earth to Kai, This is Felix calling. Hot chick groping me over here!" I glanced at him, to find him, once again, lying. She wasn't hot. She was just attractive. "Shut up." I said firmly, taking him back a bit.

The woman slowly turned towards me, and my cheeks turned the color of blood as I watched. Her eyes were big and expressive, almost childishly naïve seeming, but sultry and seductive. She was shorter than I, by almost five inches, and She was… to put it simply, beautiful beyond all compare. Yes, she looked young, but I was young as well. And with that, I did something I had never done in my life. Ever. I walked right towards her.

She smiled. "Hello, stranger…" she had an accent, but she was clearly excellent at speaking English.

"The Sakura blossoms today are beautiful, but there is something that pales the comparison."

"Ah, yes… the Sakura is but a decoy. The miracle that is the springtime's arrival." I smirked at her. "Sakura Sakura…" I smiled. "Why does it feel so strange to say that next to you…?"

"Perhaps, because it is my name. Sakura Sakura, at your service."

"Kai Ardor, at your service, as well, Sakura."

"Perhaps you and your pet would walk with me?"

I glanced at Felan, who was content to stand beside me at all times. Felix had run off after the lady who had been flirting with him. That he didn't know a damn word she was saying didn't mean a thing. Our translator enjoyed teasing him with Japanese words, usually ones meaning diddly squat. He just liked to hear her voice. Sakura's in comprassion had been rough, grating, but still managed to have the tone I so favored. An almost seductive sound. "Felan, come." I said calmly, and he growled his compliance. And with that, we walked through the cherry orchard, watching the sun descend, and more breezes than we could count twirl the blossoms around us. I had worn a Kimono that day, opting to enjoy the festival as purely as I could. I dressed classically, and so had she.

The day had come to a close with little else to talk of, but my time with her had been the best I had ever had. "Sakura, might I ask you for coffee, some time?"

Personally, I didn't so much like coffee, as tolerated it. She was apparently, of the same attitude, as she said, "Hai…" with a bit of a depressed seeming look.

"Or perhaps, a glass of sake and some sushi?" That got her attention quite nicely. But the wrong kind.

"So, you play at being samurai, eh, American?"

"I've never played at it a day in my life."

"So you follow bushido?"

"Within the confines of modern life."

"And so you back pedal after saying something that an _Eta _would do, do you?"

I stared at her calmly. She had knowledge rivaling my own, and probably better. "I make no excuses for what I said. I had thought you were modern, simply dressing classically." She snorted, and turned. "Finding a man who respects a lady is nice, but finding one who could know me at a glance was too much to hope for."

"That is beyond any man, Sakura."

"I did not think it beyond you until now." And with that, she left, leaving Felan whimpering. He had allowed her to pet him, which was a feat in and of it's self.

Days later, I had prepared to leave Japan, but I had given in to Felix's demands. The house of ill repute loomed in on me, making me feel so damned… out of place. Sakura had not left my mind. She had plagued my dreams, but not sexually. We had walked through the _Sakura_ once more, and always, it ended with her fading, just out of my grasp. I sighed as I looked at the women. The Man in charge smiled. "Tea house have many lady, yes? Many you buy?"

Most of the women were indeed beautiful… but not what I sought. "Do you have anyone more… Japanese?" American tourists didn't want Japanese women, they wanted Japanese girls. The classic anime figure, the sailor-suited school-girl. Personally, I saw the merit, but I was also disgusted by it.

"Ah know what chu wan, Sakura!" The name made me stop short. "Come, Sakura!" And with that, Sakura herself stepped out of the back of the line. "Her, but with a glass of Sake and some sushi." The reply was instant, and caused her to raise her brow.

"You hear him, American want the sake! Bring cold sake!" I turned on the squat man, and grabbed him up.

"_Temae ketsubou sore atsui!!!_"

"Hai! Hai! Atsui, atsui!"

With that, I let him down, and Felix smirked as the translator gave him the translation. "At least he didn't say pirittokuru…" She giggled.

The room we had was more or less, made to shag yourself stupid in. In fact, the damn vase was crazy glued to the stand (and had been repaired the same way.)

Sakura and I ate in silence, but, the night didn't end the same way it had before. We had a certain respect, I thought. It was fifty American dollars for the night, and the boss man was estatic that I tipped both him and her. We didn't leave that night. Nor for the next ten. The nights drug on and on, I and Sakura talking, on things as odd and far reaching as reaching Nirvana, the proper motions to stroke off or finger a woman (Which she enlightening me on without even showing skin, for which, I was both grateful and hurt.) even the reasons fruit tastes different from fruit to fruit, and so drastically too. But the true surprise came on the eleventh day.

We had run short on cash, most of it my fault, though Felix had a veritable ARSENAL of naughty games for himself to play. The translator had left two days ago, hired out on a better paying mark. (She was a con artist, for her English was so utterly horrible, even I saw through it. She was nothing more than a whore who spoke two languages, and Felix didn't give a damn. He just enjoyed the attention. "KAI!" I quickly turned. Sakura herself stood at the gate. "Felix, here…" I shoved my briefcase to him, and jumped over the turnstiles, bringing a few angry security guards with me, in pursuit as I stopped in front of her. "Sakura..."

"_Supashi-bo, Kai._" She smiled, a tear running down her cheek. "I… I think I love you." I stopped short, even as the security guards surrounded me, shouting in Japanese. I glared at them quietly, and motioned for Felix, who sighed quietly. "What is it now, Kai?"

"We're changing our reservations."

"Damnit, Kai… Fine fine, I'll go take care of the tickets… sheesh." He raised his hands up and growled quietly.

Sakura, when she first stepped into my house, had collapsed in awe. Yes, I was rich, yes, I lived in a mansion, but no, it was not ostentatious… it was Japanese. Pure and simple. The outside was a gothic architecture, but inside, it was paper screens and rice floors. She turned back on me with an inquisitive look, and Felan trotted up to her, his nose inches from hers…. And he licked her face. That was something that would never leave my mind, ever.

* * *

Looking this Kunoichi in the face, while Felan stared into her eyes, their noses inches apart, I could plainly see the resemblance. "_Sakura…_" I said quietly, looking at the scene unfold. She glared at me calmly. "Who ARE you?"

"Heh… Just a shadow of the past. Of a different place and time, almost." With that, I turned my back on her with a smile. "Thanks for the memories, _Sakura Sakura_, but I need to move along now… Too much to do."

But she didn't give up. She charged me around my dog, and I knelt down, shooting my back leg out behind me, hammering her shin, and causing her to trip, doing a front flip over me. She landed on her back with a harsh thud. "Okay, now it's your money or your life. No reason in hell I should just settle for one slave to sell to the brothels when I can have two… You would fetch a high price in Ilia, boy!" she did a twisting hand spring, and landed in front of me with a snarl, a Wakizashi appearing from no where to slice at my throat. I grabbed her wrist harshly as she tried to cut me, and twisted a straining sound and gritting teeth letting me know I had the proper effect as she dropped her sword. I threw her arm on my shoulder and grabbed up her other hand, trapping the shuriken's in her palm. I spun her around, and began to hum, doing a waltz with her.

She clamped her elbow around the back of my neck, and tried to throw me to the ground, but I spun with her, pulling her around with her own momentum, ending up with my left leg between hers, and her hair on the ground, our faces inches apart, and my hand holding her up. "Ah, a dancer, I see, impressive!" I locked my fingers and came up, pushing her away, causing the shuriken to fall from between her hands, and before she could pull the kunai from her belt, I had her trapped in my embrace. "Graceful as well… and naughty." She tried to grab my cods but succeeded in grabbing something less flexible, or as pain inducing. Her cheeks turned a rose colored red, and I grinned. "Still trying to fight against me?"

"You play dirty, you know…" she twitched her hand to the side and I inhaled sharply. DAMNED that hurt. "So do you…" I said without missing a beat, whipping my arm over her head and lifting my knee, catching her in the lower back as she tried to escape my grip, sending her into the air. My kick was chambering perfectly as she tried to release my hand, but only succeeded in twisting her wrist about as she turned to face me. I loosed my foot and let go of her hand, but instead of kicking straight, I kicked her down to the ground, watching the dirt erupt around us quietly. I smiled as she stood back up, angry, but with both her hands damaged. "Stop fighting so I can set your wrist. It would be a shame to let you die because you can't feed yourself with broken wrists."

"You haven't broken me yet, _Oni!!!_" For the first time in years, I was really and truly pissed.

I raised my hand and I would have swung, but I held back. It was one thing to fight a woman who was coming at me with a blade… but… When she clearly used only her words, when she couldn't move her damned swords, when she was helpless, or even if she had just depended on me… I couldn't do it. Instead, I let my voice deliver the beating I had almost given her physically.

"_ONI?!_" I snarled at her, jerking her up into a standing position. "You think I'm some demon? I've not lain a hand in anger upon your body, and you see fit to call me a demon, Wench? I have mind to sell YOU to a Brothel for the mere insinuation! I should beat you into the dirt for shaming my name like this, you Ilian _saseko_!"

"_Saseko?!_ You call me a whore when you yourself so obviously renounce your woman?"

That is what ended it. "ENOUGH!!!!" The powerful shout by, of all people, Garnet, sent me reeling backwards, onto my but. The dragon snarled with pure malice as he lowered his head to face Sakura's. 'This woman, as you call her is MINE. And if you continue to disobey my commander, I SHALL REND YOU HEAD FROM CHEST AND DEVOUR YOUR BEATING HEART!' She grabbed her head in pain as he shouted DIRECTLY into her skull. The mish-mash of spoken words in the telepathic speech did nothing for the pain she felt either. He pressed his paw onto her chest and snarled, drops of white accelerant dripping down onto the black suit she wore. His hot breath caused it to sizzle and pop on her chest, making her wince even further as he put a bit more pressure down. 'Do you want me to turn you in a red mist? A red floating mist that was once your body? Do you so seek to meet Elimine, wench?'

I stood up. "Enough, Garnet. I'll handle this from here."

Garnet stared at me. "No." he stared directly at me, and I felt his thoughts, quiet and full of loathing. 'I will only take commands that you give PROPERLY.'

'Fine then.' I thought to myself, barely registering the fact that Garnet smirked. 'Maybe I should just let you kill her, and give up the whole damned quest… what am I thinking, I can't let this happen to her!'

'Then I won't kill her, Commander.'

I blinked. "whathuh?"

'You're still telepathic, you just forgot how.'

Once more, I blinked even harder. "Say again?" My left eyebrow was somewhere on top of my head, so confused was I.

Felan sighed, and sat beside me, drawing my attention. 'You never lost the gift.'

I left my skin somewhere down on the ground when I jumped clean out of it. "Hamijababuwhaddafookadookanshizz!"

Felan sighed, and bit my leg, roughly. "OW!" I looked down at him. 'What was that for!?' I wondered. He just looked at me. 'For not listening to me earlier.'

I scratched my head, but not before tripping up Sakura, who had been trying to walk away from us, just to escape the pain and humiliation of the ass kicking she had just received. "You're not going anywhere, Cherry blossom decoy." I looked back down at Felan. 'You're jerking my chain right; I am NOT hearing my wolf talk to me… am I?'

The wolf rolled his eyes. 'Yes, you are, dunce, and if you don't start listening, I'm gone. You would not BELIEVE the amount of attention I got in dog heaven. You best flipping get it straight, master, because I've still got what it takes to take you down.' He huffed at me, and sat on his haunches distastefully.

"Damnit. Just… DAMNIT!" I sighed, and grabbed Sakura's robe and held it out to her. "Just… Just put the damn thing on, and let's go. This is way to freaking much for me to comprehend."

* * *

Kadan and Rohan eyed the rest of the group as we walked. It was obvious to them, we were all insane. And that Ariana girl… something was weird about her. As if a Telepathic DRAGON wasn't bloody strange enough. The snow was beginning to fall harshly. We arrived at Bulgar quickly; the quiet snow flakes covered the town completely. Thankfully, the Inn was damned near empty.

I stepped up to the counter as Hiiro and Ariana secured the mounts in the stable, though they refused to let Felan sleep there. Ah well. He got to sleep with me, I supposed. "We need four or five rooms, let me think… Yeah, five."

The drool sounding bar wench sighed. "How many to each room?"

Well, let's see… One for Sakura and I, one for Ariana, one for Hiiro, one for Kadan, and one for Rohan. Garnet, would, of course, sleep in the same room as Ariana, and Felan would sleep with Sakura and I. "Four rooms have one, though one of those you might say two, and the other has two and a dog."

"It's going to be a bad blizzard out there. You'll be staying till it thaws?"

I nodded. "Yeah. We will." With that, I took the bound and gagged Sakura up the stairs, grabbing my Key. The others did the same, Ariana shaking off snow hurriedly next to the fire. "I hate snow…"

I sighed, and sat down on the bed as I untied Sakura. "Don't do anything stupid, alright? Kunoichi you may be, but Felan know how to disable a woman quite efficiently." She merely grunted as I let her loose, and laid her down on the bed before untying her ankles and hands. I left her hands set in the minor contraption we had set for her. I Held my hands onto her own, and sighed. I Willed my skin to split, and the blood to soak her wrist, focusing on what I wanted to happen. I wanted her wrists to heal. For her to become well once more.

The spilling blood unnerved her, but she stayed perfectly still. She wanted to run, to get the hell away, but the… BOY she was looking at made her feel at home and at peace, despite the fact she still wanted to kill him. What was it about him? The pure… Purity of him! She had seen him fight, heard him speak, and seen him move… He was in no way 'pure'. But somehow, the feeling didn't fade. He was … pure of heart, but by and far, filthy minded, and blood soaked. He was a killer, but he was also a savior. "Why?"

"Hmm?" I looked at her. I had to hold my tongue to keep from saying something that would have made this truly akward. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you… so… strange, child?"

I smirked. "I haven't been called a child in… hmm… forty years, or so… But, you could say that I'm strange because I'm… unorthodox. The normal confines of ordered religion don't seem to appeal to me. I've never taken pride in order… Chaos always appealed to me, in a way… I was… not exactly proud of my past." I smirked again, and moved my hands away from the now healed wrists. I sighed, wrapping some cloth around my hands quietly. "Chaos… over order… but a code of ethics that keeps me human. That keeps me benign. Felix never developed that. He was always violent and unpredictable." I stood next to the window, and stared at the drifting snow. "But then again… We were always strange."

* * *

The psychiatrist sighed. "Absolutely Amazing…" He turned to the two parents. "Kai, in the room on the left, Mimics his twin's movements almost perfectly. But he is… completely without aggression. While Felix throws his toys, Kai moves with astonishing grace, to place them in nearly the same area Felix's toys land." The psychiatrist sighed once more. "They're… Completely opposite, yet entirely similar. Felix is dark and cruel; he's a veritable poster child for the myth that all children are cruel. Kai however, is… peaceful. He's serene, intuitive, and most of all, logical. I can't tell you why they've never spoken, but… I can tell you both that they are both brilliant beyond compare." He sighed. "Kai has the mind of a tactician. He's a bit chaotic, but I'm willing to attest that to Kai being Kai. Felix, however, is aggressive, completely and totally. While Kai has the mindset of a lone wolf, Felix is a killer, pure and simple."

They both moved out of the room somberly. The Multi-million dollar couple weren't disappointed, just unnerved. Their seven year old children had never uttered a word. No physical or mental defects.

I grunted as I fell to the ground, before pushing myself up, spitting out the dirt. Felix pulled himself up off the ground as well, much more bloodied than I. He coughed a bit, red spit hitting the ground. He smirked. "Kai…" He said. I looked over at him. "Felix…" We stood up in unison, the five kids smirking at us. "Hey look, the silent freaks speak! If we beat em a little more, think we can make em scream?"

Felix growled as he readied for the next blow. I stayed still, staring at them. I had watched carefully. Two of them were already hurting, only the leader of their little gang stood tall. He was the Lynch-pin. He held them together. He was the force that made them strong. I didn't know why, but I didn't watch him as closely as I did the kid on the left. He had been the one to ground Felix three times already. 'Felix… stay low; watch out for his elbow…' I thought absently. Amazingly, Felix dropped lower to the ground. The leader and his right hand man charged me. I took two steps back, contemplating fleeing… But I wasn't going to leave my brother like this. They were bigger, older, and stronger… but they didn't have what I had. A brain.

Felix ducked down underneath the boy's right hook, and came up inside his elbow, smashing his head into his jaw, sending the boy back into his two friends. Pure instinct the only training Felix had, but it served him well as he chambered a right handed punch, and delivered a hard straight jab to the middle boy's chest, knocking him off his feet, and sending him onto a branch.

"Stop running brat!" I smirked, and stood stock still, watching the first guy come at me quickly. I ducked down, and planted my feet, letting his stomach plow into my shoulder. He went flipping over my back, and I dove for the guy in front of me, taking him just above the knees, bowling him over, into the roots of the near-by tree. The first guy got up, and I rolled forward, grabbed on to a long stick. Sure, it wasn't a good weapon, but it would have to do. As I came up, I spun with it, catching him across the side of the face, sending him sprawling as his world went black. The other boy rushed me, punching me square in the nose, making it flow profusely, even as I double stepped back, snarling as I swung it at his knee. The branch broke harshly, but he went down. Felix jumped from beside me, hammering his fist into the final pursuer's face harshly.

"Let's get out of here guys!" The five boys scrambled to their feet and ran like hell, trying to escape from the punishment they had just received. Felix smirked. "Yeah, that's right, you better run!" He snorted. "Scum. Think they own the world, just because they're strong… I'll never be like that. I'll have real power, and I'll use it right."

I smiled at him. "Yeah, we'll be heroes. We'll stop people like that from picking on people. We'll make sure they don't mess with anyone again." I groaned as I touched my nose. "Ow…"

"You're bleeding pretty bad bro… come on, we'll get you patched up."

* * *

I watched as the snowflakes melted on the window. "We… We're mortal enemies… But… we used to be close. Twins." I sighed. I looked back at Sakura, who sat watching me closely. "Shall I take the floor?"

She snorted. "You're too young to do anything. I'm not worried." She grinned. "I know you're about fifteen."

"It… doesn't matter how old I look. Trust me on that one, Cherry blossom."

She rolled her eyes. "Stop calling me that." I sighed, and took off my shirt. "Should I call you Decoy then?"

"Sakura will be fine."

I nodded. "Fine then, Sakura Sakura." I smiled at her, and lay down under the covers in the bed. She was staring at me harshly. "How do you know my name?"

"There are things in this world you don't understand, _Cherry Blossom Decoy_. And I intend to make you fall for me."

"I'm MUCH too old for you, kid."

"Kai Ardor will be fine, Sakura."

"You think you're all that, huh?"

I sat up, and she noticed me, for sure. I turned to face her. "I know I am."

"Prove it then, Kid. Show me you're a man." I smirked. She took off her top quietly, baring herself to my view. My eyes didn't move from hers. "Put your shirt back on, Sakura. I'm not going to sleep with you."

"I've got a Kunai and I'm a woman."

I frowned… damn was she a woman. "Fine, you want proof?" I pulled her down onto the bed, and smirked, lowering my lips to hers, hovering just an inch above her. "Then I'll prove it to you the best way I know how." I slipped my hand underneath her leggings and she gasped, and I leaned in fully, locking my lips to hers, my tongue just barely dancing along hers. I pulled from the kiss slowly, taking her bottom lip in my own, and sucking on it just a bit before going to her ear.

She inhaled sharply as my fingers tweaked something, and I nibbled on her ear lobe a bit, grinning ear to ear. She was already roaring to go, just about it. My hand found her breast, and I tweaked her a bit, causing her to grunt with surprise. "This is going to be the best night of your life." She said coyly.

"You'll have a hard time topping my honeymoon." I grinned, and pulled my hand free, pushing her back down onto the bed. I smirked, and snuck down a bit, locking my teeth onto her trousers quietly, with a smile. "What're you doing?" She said with a bit of a laugh, and then I whipped my head back and to the side, lifting her up off the bed, and pulling her pants clean off. "This." I let them go and dove back down, watching her jerk a bit from how sudden it was.

She grabbed a hold of my hair, hissing through her teeth, and she pulled me closer. I moved my hand under my chest, and she yipped a bit, one hand going to my back and dragging long nails along it. I shuddered as I continued, eliciting a purr from her. "Elimine…"

I smirked as I came up, wiping away what remained, and finished kicking my pants off hurriedly. I was now, once more, a young stud, and by damn, I was going to make sure she felt every damn thing she could tonight, and I was NOT going to leave her wanting.

Ariana sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror, Garnet sitting calmly by the bed. She heard a squeaking sound from next door, and then a giggle… "Defiantly NOT an Ilian boy, are you?"

"You have no idea, Sakura." She paled. "KAI!"

I groaned, punching the wall rather firmly. "BUSY ARIANA!"

"I CAN HEAR YOU!" Ariana sighed as she covered her ears. The squeaky floor boards made matters worse. Garnet was peeking out the window wistfully… She grabbed a hold of one of his budding horns and snarled. 'AYE! Watch it Ariana, that thing is tender!' She growled. "Something else will be tender if you don't watch it, perv."

"ELIMINE!" Sakura growled it out as she locked her hands onto the head board. She had already gone off once. "Bloody hell, what're you doing to me?"

"Exactly what you asked for." I grabbed her knee and lifted it up, straddling her other leg. "And be careful what you wish for. I'm just getting warmed up, Sakura."

"Oh mer-mercy me!" The phrase sent my mind for a loop. Way too close to the Sakura I once knew.

Hiiro groaned. "Damnit, Kai, shut the hell up, and finish it already! I want to sleep tonight!!!" He pulled the pillow over his face with a huff. "I swear, if he doesn't hurry up, I'm going to cut him to ribbons." He glanced over at his Steel blade, and then sighed. "In the morning…" And growled, pulling the pillows tighter.

Ariana sighed. Three hours, and he STILL hadn't stopped. And the squeaking was worse now. "Christ, why don't they oil the nails or something?"

'I like it.' The pervy dragon had a grin on his face from ear to ear, but yelped upon taking a pillow full in the face. "Oh shut up, you idiot dragon." She sighed, running the scaled hand over his scalp lightly. He purred contentedly. 'Then again this is all it takes for me to have a good time.' And he propped his head into her lap, before suddenly jerking back and snuffing harshly.

Ariana raised her eyebrow. "What's going on?"

'I… I might not want to sleep with my head in your lap tonight.' She could tell he was blushing. "What's wrong, Garnet?"

'Well uhm… to erm… put it… uhm… lightly? You're in… heat…'

She raised her eyebrow. Then she blushed. "WHAT?! KAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!"

I growled, sighing loudly. "TEN MORE… MINUTES DAMNIT!"

Garnet continued to shuffle his feet. I stepped into the room (My complete clothing ensemble consisted of a bed sheet.) and growled. "What the hell is going on in here?"

Ariana snarled at him. "You're over there screwing around, and I'm finding out that apparently, I'm in heat?"

I sighed. "You're about to have your period, you numbskull. You're just releasing a different set of pheromones, now that you're half dragon, dim wit. It's natural, safe, and more importantly, a good control mechanism. So long as you don't go screwing around, I don't have a problem with it."

Ariana snarled at me, holding up her claws hand with a very nasty looking smirk. Her mini-wings flapped a bit and her stub-tail shuddered in fury. "You're telling me who I can and can't sleep with now, mister whore?"

"Oh please. It's not like you could handle Garnet anyway. Besides, I didn't disclude anything called 'foreplay' so enjoy. Might as well, hell, seems to feel like everyone ELSE in the world is indulging, why the hell shouldn't you?"

* * *

The night wound down from there, I and Sakura talking for nearly four hours before we finally completely passed out, but not before I made her understand that she was a woman one last time, to nearly explosive results.

Three hours into my nap… "HOLY MOTHER OF DRAGONS!!!!!" I jerked up out of bed, dashing to Ariana's room. That was not something I needed to see, DAMNIT ALL! I quickly slammed the door, and panted. "Okay… For future note, KNOCK FIRST." I walked back into my room, with a seven degree blush and a nine thousand degree temperature.

"BAD!" WHAM! A frying pan to the head sent Garnet reeling. "DRAGON!!!!" She then Cold-cocked him in the side of the head with it, effectively stopping the night's events completely.

* * *

Kadan shuddered in his room. "Rohan?"

"Yeah?" came the reply from the other side of the wall.

"I'm scared…"

"Me too…"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, GOD DAMNIT, I'M TRYING TO GET SOME MOTHER FUCKING SLEEP!" Kadan nearly pissed himself as Hiiro's steel blade crashed through his door. He heard growling, that faded after a few seconds.

* * *

A/N: Well well well… I think that was a passable alternative to a combat chapter, don't you? Mainly a Character Development chapter for Kai, and a new OC, Sakura, a Kunoichi with a penchant for Kunais and Wakizashis. If you can't tell, I'm not really confining myself to the class systems inherent within the FE 7 game. This is, after all, a Redux. 


	13. Redux 4 & 5: A double dose

For the first time, I truly dreamt. Kami, in the Traditional sense, danced around me. Each name, I knew, but could not speak. Each face was beyond familiar, a part of me so incomprehensibly vital, that I could not forget them. It was so utterly beautiful. A Silver dragon entwined a creature with bat-wings that stood as a human, but had no visible hands. Vampire. Part of me. The realization was stunning. This was, perhaps, just a dream. Then I realized something. Silver dragons, if you believed the more modern myths, were very friendly. Perhaps these were my ancestors. Oriental silver dragon, entwining a vampire bat. Why did it sound so… right? Why did I want to say 'Vlad' and 'Kurai'… Such strange things.

Beyond them, stood someone that I could NOT name. A woman, somewhere between a wolf, and a huntress, stood tall, howling at the moon, covered in bronze and steel scale mail. But she herself was… grey. Almost as if she was covered in fur. This dream was stranger by the second. I jerked awake, Sakura's hand on my chest, pulling slowly at a single curled hair. "Owwww… That's tender you know…"

"You think that's tender?" I ever so slightly twitched my ankle, and groaned. "Okay, you're right; there are things FAR tenderer." The sound of a Frying-pan smacking someone came from Ariana's Room, and Garnet yelped. "BAD! DRAGON!"

Garnet put his wings over his ears in an attempt to soothe the ringing in his skull. "WHAT?!" He whimpered harshly. 'I wasn't touching you, I swear!' A Cat meowed lightly, and hopped onto Garnet's back, curling up quietly. "I thought your tongue was furry last night…."

"Yes, it was the cat. Not me. I'm still sore from that, thank you…" He arched his neck back, and licked at some fur, accelerant eating away at the fur, and leaving a slowly hardening scale. The Trace amounts of Platinum in his accelerant hardened it quickly as it burned from contact with the hydrogen. The Scorched flesh raised and hardened further from the platinum, and it took on his dull red sheen. The color of Blood. He hadn't realized anything was strange.

Ariana gawked at him as she flapped her now bigger wings. The Course of a night had had its effect. Her wings were a good inch larger in all dimensions save thickness, and her tail had grown a further three inches. She actually wagged it, glancing at her talons, growing from her toes, even as they slowly but surely darkened before her eyes. She was simply amazed. Garnet stretched, still very much a traditional dragon, but much shorter than the night before, and stockier, much more compact. His every move spoke of enormous strength.

I groaned as I walked to the door, opening to see a red eyed Hiiro staring at me. "If… you ever… do that again… I will gut you." I grabbed the nearest towel, and wrapped it about my hips, preserving what little modesty I had after that last night. He growled as he yanked his Steel blade out of the door, eliciting a yelp from the other side. Kadan jumped off of the floor quickly. "I'm alright. Not scared at all…" He sat down, and inhaled deeply, but not before sobbing as he smelled what had happened. Rohan Groaned. "Not again…" Kadan sniffed. "I can't help it man! I got scared…"

"Clean your bed sheets and get dressed. You too, Hiiro." A trio of Grunts greeted me. "Hey, Did I give you permission to bitch?"

Hiiro muttered from the other side of the door, "Like I give a rat's ass what you think… Bloody up all night fucking that girl and you don't even have the decency to bloody give us a break… Slave driver." I Growled, and walked back into my room. Sakura groaned as she lowered her legs onto the floor, wincing.

"You're a Bastard Kai." Every one of them said it in unison. Even Sakura. I blinked. "Oh sure, just because –I- get lucky, and –I- happen to be the guy who knows what's up next, I'm the bastard."

Sakura giggled. "You're a bastard because you didn't TELL me you were so damned good."

Ariana growled. "You're a bastard because you didn't TELL me it was a cat."

Garnet laughed. 'You're a bastard because you didn't tell her it was a cat.'

Rohan snarled. "You're a bastard because you're just a bastard."

Kadan grunted. "Ditto!"

Hiiro stomped. "He's just a bastard okay? Would you all please just shut the hell up? You didn't have to LISTEN to the freaking HEADBOARD all damn night!" He snarled. "I'm going down to get breakfast. You're buying me a side of bacon, damn it Kai!"

I Sighed, and Shrugged. "So, that's how it is, eh?" Felan Smirked at me, and trotted up, nudging me. 'You need a bath, master.'

I sniffed at my armpits, and looked away gagging. "Good GOD I smell like an Eta!"

Sakura smirked. "No better than me and Elimine is a Goddess, moron."

"You're a Goddess, and trust me on this; Elimine isn't a big worry for me…" The Door behind me nearly jumped off the hinges. "ROOM. SERVICE." Someone was EXTREMELY pissed. I opened the door, getting bowled out of the way, and Elimine's very likeness walking into the room. "Here. To change. The Sheets."

"Sakura? Can I ask you to step outside? I'll be down to get breakfast in a Second. I want to have something arranged for tonight."

Sakura nodded slowly, and got dressed, kissing my cheek as she went out. I smirked. That was unlike the Sakura I had known. Not everything was a mirror image. Perhaps it was almost ten years of pent up… emotion from last night. Maybe.

Elimine glared at me. "You think me THAT Insignificant? I am the Ultimate power in THIS Realm, Kai."

"Wrong. Felix is. My Twin. Might I remind you that YOU called me into this realm, all because of that bastard?"

Elimine stared at me with eyes as small as pennies. "Hige?" I sighed. "Yes, Felix is my twin. At 32, we went out separate ways, of a disagreement about, of all things, the difference between us. He went out of his way to make himself Anathema to me. I followed one religion, he, the polar opposite. While I was kind and benevolent, he was Cruel and malevolent." I snarled. "He's still my twin, but that just means I've got first dibs on his skull."

Elimine blinked at me. "You're Felix's Twin?"

"Yes… I'd rather not go into every little detail about my past life, but let's just say there are quite a few similarities between the worlds. Almost like the Souls of those I … Never mind."

"Whatever, look. I need you to go to Ilia. You'll meet three people there. Or on the way. But, you'll need their help for what's coming next. Lyn's doing fine, and she's extremely happy."

"Kent?"

"Yes." She blushed. "GAH! I wasn't going to tell you that! Why the blue hell can you make me do things I'm not supposed to?" She growled at me. "If I could smite you, I would… damned treaties…"

"You may be a Goddess, but you're not MY Goddess. Trust me on this one, Elimine. There are things you don't quite realize going on here. Such as Akasha." Elimine cocked her eyebrow.

"Akasha?"

"Don't worry about it. Just trust me on this one… She's one of the worst beings in existence."

"Eh?"

"A really badass Demoness."

Elimine blinked at me.

There was something odd going on. I realized that I shouldn't take her knowledge of Lyn and Kent as a Sign that she was truly the goddess Elimine. Anything that could scry could discover that, if I knew those two. I could almost swear they were screwing like rabbits at this very instant. But still, something about this Elimine bothered me. Badly.

Elimine leaned towards me, and licked her lips… with a forked tongue. I nearly shit myself as her eyes changed. Twin slits in each pupil, horns erupting from the girl the demon had possessed splattering the room with blood. "Kai, my dear sweet prince… My little child Felix destroyed your fa-" My fist hammered her throat with a vengeance. I was seeing red. This bitch was the cause of EVERYTHING that had gone wrong with my life. And she was here, in front of me. Quills erupted from the back of the now very deceased girl's head, and down her back, blood dripping to the floor as her skin split in two. The macabre disguise slowly flowed off of the Demoness' body. Almost as elegantly as dropping a slip off of her body.

Suddenly, everything around me vanished. Ariana and Garnet looked around at the now burned out shell of what had once been some back-woods town. All part of the Bitch's illusion that had been this town. Sakura was holding her Wakizashi at the ready, with a look of pure terror apparent on her face. Bones jutted out of the ground at odd intervals, and our few pack horses were nothing but devoured corpses by now. Our supplies had been strewn about, and the 'snow' we could now see, was nothing but the burned up ashes of the town. The Demoness stood in front of me, but I noticed something strange about her…

Yellow blood. Not the Green Ichors I had seen her bleed at one time, due to some random fluke. This wasn't Akasha. This was a Morph, and a particularly skilled one at that. The Dream with the Dragon flashed back into my mind. Nils… Nils hadn't been the dragon. It had been Ninian. Roaring in PAIN! What the hell?! Suddenly, a huge number of Discrepancies flooded into my mind… The uncanny feeling I had had just before my own half-breed body had fallen into the acid. It was all a sham, played out by this bitches' will! This wasn't just a morph; this was one of Felix's chosen. Some of the vilest quintessence he could gather. "What is the matter, Kai? Am I not as beautiful as you once thought me? Am I not the 'savior' you called me on the day I emerged from that cage?" I smirked. I was capable of lies too.

"You didn't see through it, did you?"

The Demoness cocked her head to the side. "You're not Akasha. Felix hasn't finished the only body that he would accept as Akasha. In fact… You're nowhere near her power! And now I know why. A Morph." I snarled, and slipped into a loose fighting stance. "You just don't get it, do you? I've got nothing to lose. Everything I once was is gone. My life is here now. And do me a Favor? When you die, make sure Felix feels it."

She snarled, and leapt an impossible distance away, I rushed over to Sakura and Ariana, who were getting ready, Garnet snarling his fury, even as Rohan twirled his axe lightly. Kadan and Hiiro both looked depressed. "I was seriously looking forward to that steak…"

"You and I both…"

Ariana glanced over at me. "What's going on?"

I smirked. 'That's one of Felix's morphs, one made of a pure quintessence. She's an extremely powerful mage. We fucked up big time. We need to get back to Lyndis, NOW. But right now, we have bigger problems…'

Malformed bodies began to ease from within the ruined buildings, obviously this creature's own twisted formations with the quintessence of the townspeople. Every negative emotion she could find, compiled into these revenants that shambled towards us, jerking wildly as the stumbled along. Some were… our horses. The Bitch had made our horses into a disgusting blend of man and horse. Two of the ghouls had decidedly horse like heads, while two others had a human's torso on top of a grotesque mimicry of the horse's body. These weren't supposed to exist here… more of Felix's Tampering.

They closed their ranks, the Demoness chanting in the background, more of the quintessence of blood spilled here emerging and forming the foul legions. Felan Growled at my side. I balled my fists up, wincing as I accidentally cut myself… but my blood was glowing. The yellowish light fell onto a beast's shin, and with a sickening snap, it seemed to… implode! The appendage shriveled, and evaporated. The Ghoul fell onto the ground, howling in utter pain as I opened my hand a little more, still more of my blood touching the air. It as well, began to glow. Slowly, the beast was being dissolved by the light my hand was generating. I remembered this spell. It had been the first spell I had cast when I learned of magic in my Home world. Magic was extremely weak in my world, and the strongest of spells could barely scratch an enemy, even the fire and earth based ones.

But here, magic was rampant and fluid, as much a part of life as anything else. I grinned. "Ramuh's Guide!" I shouted it aloud, and my hand nearly exploded as the pure white streak of lightning threw the entire group of us in completely random directions. We had been separated by my own folly. Calling on the Lighting Nephilim's energy in a world that was, for all intents and purposes, made of magic, was a bad move. Magical overload. The space where I had cast the spell glowed a brilliant blue-yellow, and slowly dissipated. My hand ached, my bones felt like jelly, and I hurt all over. But there wasn't anything left of the ghoul who had challenged me. Score one for the good guys. I coughed out the breath of smoke I had inhaled.

Sakura landed gracefully on her feet, glaring daggers at the ghouls ahead of her. She slipped into a very low stance, and I could see her rear. Skin tight body suits were always a weakness of mine. And I could see every single move she made. It was almost like leather squeaking as she charged the ghoul in front of her, her Wakizashi flashing in a small crescent before she gave a low sweeping kick and flipped backwards out of the way. The ghoul slowly fell to the ground, its legs broken and its head perfectly bisected. By this point? I was a quivering mass of flesh. If she could move like this IN Leather… wait, I already knew that. No time to drool Kai. You've got monsters to slay.

Ariana gulped as she looked out over the ghouls. Completely disgusting. She quenched the bile in the back of her throat, and reached from the garnet-encrusted brooch on her neck. The ghouls stood still, and she tossed it off, the wind catching the cloak to give it a rather dramatic twirl. She stood tall, a small bikini top and pair of bottoms on, but they weren't made of cloth. Scales encrusted her body in various places. Over her breasts and around her hips, from the tips of her toes up to her knees, where a budding horn erupted. Her elbows had the same horn like appendage beginning to grow from their backs, and the scales rippling along her flesh were much more defined. The scale pattern on her face began at her hairline, and drifted down a bit over her forehead, before sweeping back with her skull, and discoloring the hair, her twin horns just beginning to grow from her forehead. Of course, seeing all this was only thanks to my strategist's gift of astral presence. She was actually wearing clothes, I just wanted to see how far along she was… I suddenly felt like Elimine was going to honestly smite me there for a minute, but I shrugged it off. Ariana snapped her fingers, a gout of blood coming to the surface. She made a motion in the air, and yelled out, "Eldaris Elfanim!" The blood glowed like a rune in the middle of the air. "Terra corrun!" I knew the spell.

The ground under the ghouls in a cone in front of her suddenly fractured. There was a brief moment where nothing happened. Red light began to spill from the cracks, reaching towards the sky as Ariana drew one slim line from the center of the rune to the top, just as I had taught her on the journey. Her hand stopped, and then almost made a circle before cutting back, and tracing the inside. The red lights in the sky multiplied, becoming too many to count. Even the Demonic Magi we faced was interested now. As Ariana finished the second semi-circle, she twirled her finger one more time. I shuddered. "Oh shit." Was all I said. She jerked her hand down towards the center of the circle, her small skirt flaring out behind her. "BAHAM'S BLASTER!" The ground beneath the ghouls up heaved into a massive chunk of rock, and was struck by a blast of lightning no smaller than the face of a church. The entire rock shattered, the ghouls in mid air were instantly deep fired, and clattered back to the ground as char-coal, the sheer force of the spell pushing enough oxygen away to keep them from burning. With that, she sighed, and put her finger in her mouth, trying to relieve the sting.

Hiiro wasn't having a problem at all doing his job. His Steel Blade was a slowly whirling pendulum of death. Every move he made, his chain mail barely made a noise. The singing air from the tip of his blade made music with the blood streaming off. He would swing wide to his side, and simply roll his wrist, the blade flowing like water, even as he pulled it down towards the ground. The ghoul in front of him fell apart almost the instant the blade touched him. The solid wood of the ruins beneath gave Hiiro the leverage he needed to flip upwards, before slamming his blade down again, sending a shockwave of dirt blasting forward, knocking the next ghoul off his feet as he flipped the blade again, letting it cut through the next ghoul, before he began the cycle again.

Kadan had slipped into his predictable Parry Slash Thrust movements, while Rohan continued to perform erratically, actually getting hit by their claws a time or two. Sakura was completely autonomous, cutting them up without waiting for any sign from me, or the others. I Refocused on myself, and opened my eyes, looking at the Centaur-ghoul who pulled his axe back with a snarl. I clenched my fists, and looked over at my side, Felan's fur bristling wildly. The beast swung horizontally, and we both ducked low, the axe flying clean away from us. I dashed in, Felan hot on my heels. I opened my palm, and I felt the urge to do a flip. I did.

The glowing blood ignited from my palm, and I was shot back by a blast of pure white light that simply ripped through the creature's human torso, and right behind that bolt was my dog, jumping straight for its neck.

If the centaur hadn't been ugly as a Tasmanian devil in the first place, it DAMN sure was now. Felan dug his claws into the creature's shoulders and human hips, ripping at its throat horribly fast. I could barely see Felan's head and jaws moving as he pulled the creature's neck apart, piece by piece.

"Felan, heel!" He jumped off, and came back to me, growling loudly. 'Take it easy next time, alright?' Felan merely barked. He bounced away a little, and curled his lips up to a ghoul. I was stuck looking at the face of one of her Horse-men creations. I groaned, and stepped back a little, rubbing my two fingers in the blood coming out of my palm. "Alright, let's do this."

The Horse-ghoul charged me with surprising speed, and I ducked down, and put my fingers towards his chest. "REPULSE!" The brief flash of blinding white light left nothing of the creature. My hand stung like hell, but the creature was gone. Another ghoul rushed me, and I punched right at his chest, an open palm strike. The creature stopped moving about an inch before kissing me, and I pulled my arm out of it's chest, spitting out a little of my last meal. I balled my fist up, the white light from the blood merely becoming blades from the pressure.

I ducked down, dodging the swing from the enemy, its poisonous claws leaving a green mist above me. I delivered an uppercut at an air-splitting speed. I popped my hands into his jaw, and watched the head go flying, my claws of light unfortunate enough to have cut off the creature's nose.

While I was freaking out about having a dead man's nose on my hand, Garnet was staring at the two remaining special ghouls. The Centaur and the Revenant Knight were together, and the Revenant Knight mounted its compatriot. They slowly came at him. He simply sat down, and watched with an almost puppy like interest. They came closer, within his snapping distance, and he waited just a moment more. I could hear him growling.

There was nothing more than a red flash. Garnet's fangs slipped through the centaur's chest like a hot knife through butter, and his feet shifted to the side, allowing his front left paw room to push the unfortunate revenant riding the dead centaur into the air, where it collided with a falling, damp white mist. Garnet exhaled a little, the accelerant burned quickly, and as the small white trail touched the soaked air, it simply imploded, nothing but black smoke visible in less than a second, where there should have been two corpses. Garnet stretched an almost cat-like stretch, and lashed his tail through another ghoul behind him, before lazily plodding towards Ariana, who was slinging fire spells at an amazing rate, sometimes splitting the spell into a trio of fire balls to attack a multitude of enemies at once. Garnet left a wide berth behind him. Mostly of corpses, but there was the occasional black smoke cloud left from his flash-fire snorts at a ghoul.

Ariana glanced over at him, and jumped on his back. He took a few steps back, and turned side on to the demons. Ariana reached above her head, and drew a very simple rune in the air. A fire ball as big as her torso floated above her hand, and she smirked. As she tossed it, garnet roared in fury, the roar alone slaying some of the creatures. But that wasn't what caused the most damage. The white mist of his breath suddenly became an absolute inferno as Ariana tossed the spinning fireball into the mist. Garnet shut his mouth quickly, and smirked, the area ten foot around Ariana's fireball impact lit up like a tornado. "Boom." The flaming tornado was gone in a second, leaving clothes scorched, Garnet's last few bits of fur singed, and both their ears ringing.

"Well Duh." I said as I flipped over the pair, Felan dashing between Garnet's legs, I raised my hand, and shot a bolt of light out wordlessly, afraid to use a vocal incantation at the moment, mainly because of the dissipating ether around us from the burned blood and accelerant. The bolt of light lanced through a Ghoul's head, and left him with a nice big chuck of ash floating in air where most of his torso used to be. Felan curved around to the side, and jumped up, burying his fangs into a ghoul's throat and tearing away leaving the creature staggering as another of my rapid fire bolts took him in the shoulder, causing his arm to fall off. I held my wrist tightly, and shouted aloud, "ELDARIS ELUIM RAID!" Raid was actually the elfin word for rapid. Go figure. The bolts of pure white light were barely as thick as my thumb, but they completely obliterated whatever they touched. I turned the flying streams of light on the mage who stood at the other end of the village. "EAT THIS!" I held the bolts back, letting them accumulate. Felan dashed to my wide, and I held my hand down, twitching my fingers as more and more blood spilled from them into the orb of light I now held. Felan side stepped quickly, and I jumped into the air.

Felan's claws and teeth mangled the creature's left leg, leaving her standing on little but a stump that happened to be long enough to reach the ground. She feebly flapped her wings, but Felan lifted into the sky with a jump, and grabbed on, snarling at the crunch of fragile wing bone. I thrust my hand forward. "DIE!" I shouted, and the light erupted from my hand, sending me flying, well past the tree tops. Of course, from what I could tell of the beast's last few seconds of life…. That had to REALLY Freaking hurt.

Then again, this was going to hurt more. I sighed as I sailed through the air, wondering when I was going to fall and break my skull wide open. For some reason, I was feeling peaceful. Not to mention, the flight was fun! Of course, that illusion ended the moment I had the ill fortune to go flying into a hickory tree's leaves. "SHIT!" I grunted as a branch caught my shirt, which by some utterly DIVINE miracle, didn't shred. I bounced up and down on the branch slowly, being flung too and fro, and then, of a sudden, the branch began to still. I looked down, and then quickly covered my eyes. "AGH! I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE THIS!!!" Kent looked up from his rather… lewd position between Lyn's legs, and then felt his face shoved back in. "Ignore the birds, Kent! IGNORE THEM FOR GODS SAKE! HnnN!" I covered my eyes. And then I plugged my ears. Hearing it was almost as freaking bad.

* * *

A/N: And here's part 2 of this chapter. You might want to go get some kleenex and clean up. Hehe. Don't worry, I'll give you time.

* * *

I rubbed the balm on my face, nodding to Garnet. "Yes. We're back with Lyn now. Fetch the others for me?" I groaned, and fell back onto the cot, putting the raw meat back on my eye. "Didn't have to deck me, Lyn…" She growled. She leaned close, and in a VERY dark tone, there was a small, quiet whisper. "I was… so… close… asshole." I blanched.

"Right, I deserved this big walloping for preventing you from getting your nut for three minutes longer, three minutes which, if sound is a good judge, you THROUGHLY enjoyed." Sain and Florina both blushed, looked at each other, and then turned their heads to the side with a 'HMPH!'

"What's with them?" I motioned blankly as Lyn walked away. Dorcas sighed. "He's too big."

"For anything?"

"Everything."

"Poor guy."

"Florina blames it on his 'meat and beans' diet."

"He's been eating beans?"

"He now has something luscious made for his pants. Lucious calls it an 'air freshener'."

"… Convenient."

"The poor guy is all over Wil though."

"Wait, What?!"

"You heard me. Turns out, Wil was wooing ladies one night, and ended up seeing Lucious in his err… glory."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Lucious isn't gay, Trust me on this one. He's just milking the joke."

"I'll determine if he's gay or not."

"You're willing to put your ass on the line for Wil?"

"… No, but, I know someone who will gladly put her ass on the line."

"HELL THE FUCK NO." Sakura yelled at me, glaring daggers into my busted eye. That hurt.

"Oh come on. It's not like you're not interested too!" I pleaded my case as Ariana and Garnet watched on, Dorcas bringing a bowl of 'puffing corn' to them, and sitting down beside them. The two ate discretely within their cloaks. No one had said names, but Dorcas had picked up on it right away.

"Oh, Look, I'm not asking a guy if he would rather the front or back door."

"You asked ME that last night…"

"That's different!"

"Just barely!"

"…. What's in it for me?"

"I'll tell you Sain's exact measurements."

Her eyebrow rose at this. "You'll give me numbers?" Everyone around the camp knew she was odd, and loved to peek on men when they bathed. It wasn't too odd by now to see a slightly damp cherry blossom nearby when you got out of the river. Of course, mine were always freaking soggy, while Kent's were almost dry as a bone. I also knew she kept a diary with a little table in the back. She was almost anal about counting certain things in her life.

"Numbers."

"…. Deal, you dirty double crosser."

"Love you too, Decoy!"

She flipped me off as she meandered over to Lucious. I watched them talk. Her eyebrow shot up, and she some-what staggered back to me. She bent closer, and said quietly, "He uh…. Said my front, his back."

I fell over face first, and groaned. "Wonderful."

"Well, it could be worse, you know…"

"He's a bloody bisexual priest."

"Well, the BBP over there has his eyes on you."

The record skipped. I sat stock still, and raised my eyes slowly. I glanced at Sakura, then over at Lucious.

"Dear. Sweet. Mother of Glory."

"What's wrong Kai?"

I sighed, and picked up a pillow, flinging it at Lucious. "You're too damned pale!!!"

Of course, that was kind of a buzz kill, but a bigger buzz kill was when Nils came through the clearing at a dead run, tripped on my foot, and managed to plow directly into Garnet. I stood up instantly, grabbing Nils by the back of the shirt, as I heard the growl in the back of his throat. I nodded my head. "Sakura, You two, let's go." I glared at the rest of the party. "Matthew, you too!" I quickly walked out of the clearing. Such horrid luck.

We walked for a good bit. I put my hand on Nil's mouth, and kept him silent as we walked. "Alright then…" I set Nils down, and he nearly screamed. "HUSH!" I glared at him. "Be silent! This is so bloody inconvenient…"

Nils snarled into my hand, and I looked down at him with a bit of disdain. "Bite off my hand, and I blow this whole damned world to kingdom come. And you should know I can." I looked back as Dorcas came running in behind Matthew. "Dorcas, speak not a word of this to ANY you find." Hiiro stumbled in after that, a little drunk. "You either, Hiiro."

"Ya bloody bastard. Ain't said sheet yet… won't say it nhaow." He shook his head a little. Nils glanced around the circle, as Garnet paced, his eyes locked on Nils. "Let the boy speak." I stopped dead, and glanced back at Garnet. He said those words with his own voice. Hot damn. "Dragon to Dragon." Garnet folded back his hood. "You're a Bit Surprised, I wager?"

"A bit? No, I'm honestly REALLY Surprised. Nergal let more than me and Ninian out?"

"No. I'm natural Born."

"Bullshit!" He began to growl and snarl, quite obviously his native language. I could feel a roar building in his chest. I gulped. "Garnet…."

Garnet's reply was harsh and fast, and packed the sting of a whip within. "A Youngling like you? HA! I don't need to be raised by a dragon to know an empty threat when I hear one."

Nils snarled louder, and I felt his temperature spike as I held him against the tree. His eyes were growing tighter, a battle-lust forming quietly. Garnet replied in kind, but for some reason, his growls and snarls felt clumsy and detached.

"STOP!" It was Ariana. Nils instantly cooled down, turning a shade of red I didn't think he could. Did Nils have a crush on Ariana? I could see why he woul-… Oh shit. Her heat!

"Nils…" I looked down at him. His eyes were a different tone, but still narrowed.

Garnet trudged between Nils' Gaze and Ariana. "Touch her and die." Instead of leaving the threat empty, I could see his chest cave in a little, muscles around his Accelerant gland contracting.

"Try and stop me, Crème-puff!"

"Little shit, I'll make you eat those words!!!!" He dived for Nils, and I dived out of the way. His claws were soaked in accelerant. Holy shit! I scrambled back, grabbing Dorcas and Matthew. Hiiro looked at me dumbly. Then he realized what was about to happen.

The shit was about to hit the fan.


End file.
